Fulham

If you can keep your eyes off the two Fulham cheerleaders pictured left - Wayne Rooney should hopefully make his long awaited return after a seven match absence as Manchester United look to open up a five point advantage over The Bindippers by beating Fulham at Old Trafford.

Rooney has been struggling with a hamstring injury which he sustained at Wigan one month ago but has now hopefully fully recovered.

Thanks to Fabio Capello for not choosing him for England too. He was told by Fergie Rooney is available if Capello felt the need to choose him, but he didn't.

Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Carlos Tevez, Michael Carrick and Dimitar Berbatov are among the big names who return following the FA Cup win at Derby, while Edwin van der Sar looks to complete an incredible 14th consecutive Premier League clean sheet.

Fulham boss Roy Hodgson will give late fitness tests to Paul Konchesky and Andy Johnson. Both players have been struggling with muscle strains but will be given every chance to prove their fitness. Dickson Etuhu is still out with the knee injury he sustained against Wigan, meaning on-loan Inter Milan midfielder Olivier Dacourt should continue in midfield.

I'm glad to see Rooney back but if we are honest, did we really miss him, did our results go down-hill or did we beat two long standing defensive records and reach the top of the league in his absence? Rooney is a valuable asset for United but this squad has such richness in depth that they can lose him for seven games and the machine keeps rolling along. Awesome stuff indeed I'm sure you'll agree.

Teams: Man Utd (from): Van der Sar, Foster, Kuszczak, Neville, Rafael, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evans, Evra, O'Shea, Ronaldo, Nani, Carrick, Scholes, Fletcher, Giggs, Park, Berbatov, Rooney, Tevez, Gibson, Welbeck.

Fulham (from): Schwarzer, Hughes, Konchesky, Pantsil, Hangeland, Johnson, Zamora, Nevland, Gera, Murphy, Kamara, Gray, Zuberbuhler, Stoor, Dempsey, Davies, Milsom, Brown, Kallio, Barnes, Dacourt.

More United News From Carly ;)

Swansea 1 - Fulham 1 (FA Cup, February 14, 2009) Swansea dominated the first half without claiming a goal for their efforts, and they were sucker-punched on the stroke of halftime when a Fulham corner was missed by keeper Dorus de Vries with the ball coming off Garry Monk’s hip for an own goal. The Swans got a deserved equaliser in the 52rd minute, Jason Scotland picked up possession on just inside the box before escaping the sights of Aaron Hughes, finishing with a shot into the far corner.

Boro moved in front at Upton Park after the Hammers made a hash of dealing with an O’Neill cross, Collins and Upson both failed to cut out the ball and Stewart Downing came round the back to nod in his first goal of the season.

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In the Bundesliga’s top of the table clash between Hertha and Bayern it was the host who struck first taking advantage of poor communication between Lucio and Lell that allowed Andrey Voronin to head home his fifth of the season. Bayern levelled in the 62nd minute, Lucio and Schweinsteiger both saw their shots saved before Miroslav Klose finally scored.

Edin Dzeko headed Wolfsburg into the lead at Frankfurt meeting a cross at the back post that Proll couldn’t claw out. Zvjezdan Misimovic bagged Wolfsburg’s second from the penalty spot.

Stuttgart’s Mario Gomez continued his recent good form in front of goal at Hannover, needing just five minutes to fire the visitors ahead. After 22 minutes it was 0-2, Hilbert played in Martin Lanig who stroked in the second from inside the box. Hannover stage a wonderful comeback at the end of the first half, Jiri Stajner pulled a goal back from a corner in the 43rd minute before Jacek Krzynowek levelled on the stroke of halftime with a sweet free-kick.

After Hamit Altintop’s shot was only parried Kevin Kuranyi followed in to steer Schalke ahead at Bochum. Mimoum Azaouagh equalised with a stunning 25-yard drive that pierced Neuer’s top corner and the hosts completed their comeback at the start of the second half when Christoph Dabrowski turned the ball goalwards after two previous efforts had been snuffed out.

Bremen’s meeting with Gladback came to life in the final 15 minutes, Claudio Pizarro headed Werder into the lead but minutes later American Michael Bradley had fortunate on his side as he drew the visitors level from a free-kick.

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Antalyaspor 1 - Galatasaray 0 (Superliga, February 14, 2009) Ahmet Kuru got on the end of a cross on the hour mark to give Antalyaspor the three points.

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On a bog of a pitch at Levadiakos, PAOK’s Sergio Conceicao picked up on a loose punch from the keeper to roll the ball into the empty net.

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Manchester United 2 - Bolton 0 (FA Premier Reserve League, February 12, 2009) Penalties from Fabio in the first half and Federico Macheda in the second secured the win. (Other highlights here.)

What would be the most shocking revelation this transfer window bring?

Jermain Defoe to Tottenham Hotspur, a mesmerizing return.

Kaka to Manchester City, the ridiculous over the top transfer. Unfortunately, it never happened.

Nigel de Jong to Manchester City, an expensive acquisition to say the least.

Craig Bellamy to Manchester City, the village bike of the Premier League.

Emile Heskey to Aston Villa, a romantic story for England’s main target man.

Mido to Wigan, why?

But none have surprised like Jimmy Bullard heading for the KC Stadium.

He has left Fulham for Hull City; the logic has completely gone out of the window.

Fulham are flying (well for Fulham), playing in midfield with Danny Murphy has been good for Bullard’s game. The call-up to the England squad was no accident, he is a class player, and a team in the top ten must have wanted him.

The Middlesbrough’s, Wigan’s, and West Ham’s of this world are bidding for players like Ben Watson, while Bullard was available for a very modest £5 million. Compared to the transfers above this is a real bargain.

Arsenal need centre midfielders, would he not have fitted the bill? Eligible for Europe and a craft eye for the pass, he would have fitted in perfectly. A real engine in their team, bring back the passion and the hunger to fight for that top four spot.

Although being 30-years-old shows he is no spring chicken, he still has the energy to dominate a midfield and perform heroics on the field. His career has had its gaps though persistent crucial injuries, he has never been able to flourish in the manner he could.

When he signed for Wigan, he played brilliant in securing promotions through all the divisions, never once looked out of his depth.

Hull City have got themselves a pin-up, an icon, and a fantastic addition to their squad. A four–and-a-half year contract decided Bullard’s fate in the end. He will do wonders, where finances and transfer fees are spiralling out of control; it’s absurd that a player of Bullard’s ability was snapped up so modestly.

Here are my top five goals from Matchday 22 of the Barclays Premier League:

5) Jermaine Defoe – Tottenham

Defoe came to haunt his old club, as his goal on 70 minutes cancelled out David Nugent’s opener. The £15million striker hit a superb strike with his left-foot from 20 yards out, as the ball went through the legs of Sol Campbell before flying in past the as usual helpless Calamity James.

4) David Nugent –Portsmouth

What a way for David Nugent to get his first ever goal in the EPL, and his first in over a year. After the ball broke to the one-time England international on the edge of the box, Nugent hit a first-time strike, with the ball bouncing off Gareth Bale before finding its way into the bottom corner.

3) Steven Gerrard – Liverpool

As always, Gerrard looked to have won it when he put the Reds ahead, only for a late Tim Cahill goal to deny Liverpool top spot in the EPL. Perhaps Jose Reina could’ve saved Cahill’s effort, but there was no denying it that not even a keeper as good as Tim Howard could save a thunderbolt of a shot from the Liverpool captain.

Everton hadn’t conceded a goal in over 10 hours, but were powerless as Gerrard’s powerful low strike from 25 yards flew into the bottom corner.

2) Pablo Zabaleta –Manchester City

If he could do it every week, then the general consensus would probably be: who needs Kaka when you have a player like Pablo Zabaleta?

Against Wigan Athletic, Zabaleta showed off his Argentinean magic, and why he should play more often in midfield, when he took full advantage of Paul Scharner’s half clearance by hitting a beautiful volley that swerved out of reach for Wigan’s Chris Kirkland.

I’m sure no-one will disagree with me here in saying that Zabaleta’s goal was by far the best goal of the game.

1) Paul Konchesky –Fulham

Was it pure skill? Or just pure luck? Either way, Paul Konchesky yet again managed to find something useful do to other than give away penalties when he fired Fulham level at Upton Park in their 3-1 defeat.

The defender is renowned for occasionally making up for his calamities with some absolutely fantastic long-range goals, and against his former club on Sunday was no different.

From 35 yards out, Konchesky rifled home a pin-point accurate thunderbolt that flew right up in the top corner, and most definitely out of reach for any keeper, and clearly Robert Green included.

I think we might have not only a contender, but the goal of the season from Paul Konchesky. If one thing is for definite though, it's that it’ll certainly be his goal of the season.

West Ham United have made it five consecutive matches with at least a point with a 3-1 victory over Fulham at Upton Park on Sunday. The Hammers have now won three of their last four Premier League matches and have skyrocketed to eighth in the table on 29 points.

West Ham were without one notable face, as striker Craig Bellamy was not in the squad after skipping training and refusing to play after he was denied permission to speak to Tottenham about a potential transfer. 

It had been reported earlier in the week that the East London club had rejected bids from both the Spurs and Manchester City for the Welsh International, who apparently wants out of West Ham.

The Hammers didn't need Bellamy on Sunday, as their two starting strikers, Carlton Cole and David di Michele were a part of all three of the goals.  Also playing a big role were former Hammers John Pantsil and Paul Konchesky.

In the seventh minute, Pantsil attempted to play a ball off his chest in his own box to keeper Mark Schwarzer, but Bellamy's replacement David Di Michele swooped in and intercepted the poorly played ball and tucked it into the back of the net.

On the half-hour, Konchesky equalized with a blistering 30-yard strike, which was his first goal since the 2006 FA Cup Final, when he played for West Ham against Liverpool. 

Konchesky's happiness was short-lived, however, as in the 59th minute he brought down Carlton Cole in the box with a poor challenge.

Mark Noble took the kick from the spot and calmly placed it past Schwarzer to give the Hammers back the lead.  After missing a shot, Cole was finally rewarded with a goal after sloppy play in midfield from Fulham gave the ball to Di Michele who found Cole in the box for an easy finish, his fifth in his last five games.

In their five-match unbeaten run, West Ham has scored two or more goals in each match. This comes on the heels of a 10-match stretch where the Hammers had one goal or less, which coincidentally started directly after their 2-1 win over Fulham in September.

If the Irons can keep up this goal scoring pace, with or without Bellamy, their opponents will be hard pressed to take more than one point from them, as the defense and goalkeeping have been phenomenal of late. West Ham trail seventh place Wigan by just two points, but remain just eight points clear of the relegation zone, where five teams are level on 21 points.

Next up for West Ham, a trip to League One side Hartlepool for the fourth round of the FA Cup on Saturday.

Barney Corkhill's Unofficial World Club Championship (UWCC) saw another defence today as record-breaking champions Fulham took on Gianfranco Zola's West Ham team at Upton Park.

Fulham went into this match on the back of a fantastic run of form, having remained unbeaten in ten, eleven if you count the abandoned match last weekend, a run that stretched all the way back to Nov. 1 of last year.

West Ham weren't exactly on a bad run of form either, as Zola had made his usually inconsistent team string together a run of five games unbeaten, scoring 14 goals in the process.

It was Fulham's resistance that was finally broken, however, as West Ham recorded an impressive 3-1 victory.

Fulham didn't do themselves many favours during the match, especially in defence. It was a mistake from John Paintsil that allowed David di Michele in to opening the scoring for the Hammers, before a thunderous striker from Paul Koncheskey leveled the scores.

Carlton Cole, who has been on a great run of form recently, made a nuisance of himself in the penalty area again, and was fouled by goal scorer Paul Konchesky, giving Mark Noble the chance to score from the spot, a chance he took emphatically.

Another mistake led to West Ham's third, finished coolly by Carlton Cole, who made it five games in a row he has scored in.

The result means that Fulham's record ninth defence of their UWCC title was their last, and West Ham become the fifth team to hold the title, four of whom have come from London.

Fulham's reign ends having seen them record 15 points, an all-time low average of 1.5 per game, score eleven goals (1.1 per game), and concede eight (0.8 per game).

38.9 percent of voters said that West Ham would be able to beat Fulham today, so well done to all who got it right!

West Ham's run

West Ham 3-1 Fulham (West Ham become new champions)

(Click here to see the complete history of Barney Corkhill's Unofficial World Club Championship.)

Congratulations to West Ham, who are now officially the new unofficial best club side in the world! Their first title defence comes next Saturday as they face League One's Hartlepool in the FA Cup Fourth Round. Could Hartlepool become the best club side in the world?!

Welcome to what will hopefully become a weekly feature here on Bleacher Report! The opinion of an English teenager is important for all of us, so it seems only fair that I tell you five things that have piqued my interest this week, from the world of Football.

1. Liverpool keeping it interesting.

It may be bias, but I think Liverpool still have hope, in terms of winning the EPL. I can only hope the draws to Fulham and Stoke were a deliberate tactic from Rafa Benitez, to make the title race more interesting. At the moment it really does look like Manchester United will run away with the title.

2. Fulham, what are you doing here?

Roy Hodgson seems to have done a good job at Fulham, I was never expecting to see them ninth in the league with a win to their name! They even beat Arsenal, although quite a few teams have done that this season.

3. Ronaldo, World Player of the Year.

Congratulations to him, although it seems the people judging have forgotten what a mediocre Autumn and Winter he has had. Still, he is a very, very good player. Unfortunately, that sentence would probably look better if "annoying person" replaced "good player"

4. Who on earth will be relegated?

It's quite tight this year, in case you somehow didn't know. I was looking forward to seeing Newcastle and Tottenham in the Championship, but hey, we all have to start somewhere.

5. Kaka would be insane to accept 500K a week.

The rest of the team would alienate him, and this would throw the whole financial system into disarray. Players will want to earn as much as him, and no club could afford 11 players on anything over 150K a week, let alone 500K.

I know a lot of you guys out there like your Football, so: discuss!

Aston Villa aside, Fulham are possibly the most improved team in the Barclay’s Premier League this season and it has a lot to do with two men.

Roy Hodgson has worked miracles at Craven Cottage since taking charge last season when it seemed Fulham were odds on for relegation. Now they are a mid-table side that has no fears about relegation.

The other man is midfield sensation Jimmy Bullard. The 30-year-old has impressed in the top flight ever since arriving with Wigan Athletic in 2005. The £2.5 million spent by Fulham a year later looks like the a bargain now, but Fulham are doing little to hold onto their prize asset.

A free kick specialist and excellent passer of the ball, the midfielder has pulled Fulham up the league since returning from a bad cruciate ligament injury a year ago and has even pushed himself into England contention after impressing Fabio Capello.

So why does it look like he’ll leave this January?

It appears Bullard has fallen out with Fulham over a new contract and the London side are ready to cash in.

Bolton Wanderers have reportedly tabled a £5 million bid, but I feel that would signal a step backwards for a player of his quality. The rumours of interest from bigger fish may keep him away from Bolton with Arsene Wenger apparently an admirer, but that may depend how desperate he is to leave Fulham.

£5 million would be a snip for a player cable of winning matches and in a window that has seen Jermain Defoe go for £15 million and Wayne Bridge for £12 million and you’d surely expect Fulham to knock it back, but would he really fit in alongside Kevin Nolan at Bolton?

On paper it would look quite appealing, but so does Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard.

Having said all that, the Bolton offer does double what the club paid for him two and a half years ago and taking his age into account, might just be enough for the Fulham banker.

As for me, I say no deal as in the current market Jimmy Bullard is worth a bit more than that.

Barney Corkhill's Unofficial World Club Championship (UWCC) was due to see another defence today as champions Fulham were to take on Sam Allardyce's Blackburn at Craven Cottage.

Unfortunately for all involved, however, the match was abandoned due to a frozen pitch, with the referee deeming it unsafe just an hour before the scheduled kick-off.

The new year has brought with it a new wave of cold weather, and it has hit the football fixtures hard.

A whole host of lower league matches were postponed due to the frozen conditions, but it is rare that Premier League matches, with the facilities the clubs have, get called off for such reasons.

It happened twice today, though, as both Portsmouth's match against Manchester City and Fulham's UWCC title match with Blackburn were postponed.

The decision infuriated the travelling Blackburn fans, many of whom had endured five- or six-hour coach journeys to see their heroes play, only to be told the match won't take place with just an hour to go.

The decision, however, also means the Fulham hold on to their Unofficial World Club Championship title for a few days longer.

Of course, the match won't go down as another successful defence for Fulham, nor an unsuccessful challenge from Blackburn.

Instead, it will go down as the first ever postponed match in UWCC history.

95.2 percent of voters on the poll said that Fulham would hold on to their UWCC title, but I guess we'll never find out what would have happened!

Fulham's run

Fulham 2-1 Tottenham (Fulham become new champions)

Liverpool 0-0 Fulham

Aston Villa 0-0 Fulham

Fulham 1-1 Manchester City

Stoke 0-0 Fulham

Fulham 3-0 Middlesbrough

Tottenham 0-0 Fulham

Fulham 2-2 Chelsea

Sheffield Wednesday 1-2 Fulham

Fulham P-P Blackburn

(Click here to see the complete history of Barney Corkhill's Unofficial World Club Championship.)

Fulham's next title defence comes next Sunday as they travel to Upton Park to take on West Ham. Could the Hammers beat Fulham and become the best club side in the world?!

Hip Hip Hoorah! 2008 has finally passed and the world that is 2009 awaits us. In 2008 we saw an All-England Champions League Final, A new king of the hallowed surface at SW19, and even Ol' Blighty doing rather well at the Summer Olympic Games.

But what to expect in the 365 days ahead? Perhaps A Grand Slam for Murray? A Premier League Title for The Kop? Maybe even an NBA-inspired Premier League All Star Weekend?

No-one knows...however, I am going to take a wild and somewhat relaxed "Guesstimate."

Oh, dear...

January

After much speculation Manchester City land Cristiano Ronaldo, David Villa, and a troubled Steven Gerrard with the latter performing 100 hours community service. As City are out of all the domestic cups, his 8 o'clock curfew doesn't stop him from playing in any games. Meanwhile, Dimitar Berbatov starts to shine in Red. Playing up front with Tevez the Zombie and Rooney the Ogre, Dimitar the Vampire makes up the Fairy Tale Trio...Literally.

In the Land Down Under, The Fed Express claims his fourth Aussie Open title without dropping a set. Despite this success, Rog is slated for his Bandana knot looking slightly off perfect and is subsequently dropped to No. 47 in the world rankings and shunned by the worlds press. Beaten finalist Andy Murray vows to continue his superb form, eating haggis and reiterates the fact that he is actually Scottish.

February

Roy Hodgson's resurgent Fulham revel in their role as Barney Corkhill's UWCC Champions and storm to third place in the Premier League after 18 points from six games. As Steve Gerrard returns to his beloved Liverpool he finds that in his absence Albert Riera has become Mr Liverpool and Kop captain. The bewildered Gerrard doesn't know what to do and subsequently locks himself in his room.

Rafa Nadal looks a shadow of his former self as his 24 inch guns are hidden until the tight little tops Nike have him wearing. Roger Federer and the chasing pack take advantage forcing The Matador Of Spin into a mass of rampaging testosterone.

March

The Enraged Rafa rips the sleeves off his tight little tops and storms to the first masters title of the year, the Indian Wells tournament. As he lifts the trophy his left knee tape snaps and he falls in agony to the ground. The stage is one short at the Miami masters event but that doesn't stop Federer swooping to claim another Hard Court Title.

Fulham, still unbeaten since beating Tottenham, storm to the top of the the Premier League whilst bitter rivals Chelsea fall behind. Albert Riera's Liverpool seem to be out of it after Jamie Carragher is dropped in favour of the recently signed Titus Bramble. Manchester United keep themselves in the race after thumping Joe Kinnear's Newcastle 4-0. Shay Given's lawyer isn't impressed.

Man Utd also pile further pressure on Rafa Benitez by beating the Red Scousers 2-1 at Old Trafford. Albert Riera is removed as captain and the honour is passed on to Alvaro Arbeloa.

April

The first big fight of the year takes place as 43 year old Bernard Hopkins takes on 46 year old Evander Holyfield at Light Heavy. No one knows why?! At the end of the ninth round Holyfield retires on his stool, claiming that his free bus pass only runs until half past 11. He sticks his slippers on and catches the last bus...just.

The title race is really hotting up with Man Utd still second to surprise package Fulham. The UWCC Perma-Champs lead the way by five points with four games still to play.

Roger Federer regains some respect from the media when he beats Novak Djokovic at the Monte Carlo Masters without dropping a game. However the left loop of his right shoelace becomes slightly smaller than the opposite loop towards the end of the first set and boos ring around the Clay Court stadium.

May

After his recent success at The Masters in April, Greg Norman retires the nickname the Great White, claiming he is now, wait for it...The Whale Shark! Mixed opinions a plenty.

Fulham lift the Premier League Title after going unbeaten for well over five months. United finish second and Chelsea third. The Villa vs Arsenal battle ends with Arsenal nicking the final Champions League spot on the final day. Much To Michel Platini's disgust. Liverpool are relegated to the Championship but Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher vow to return to Anfield for the '09-'10 season.

The Reds, West Brom and Stoke City swap places with 100 pointers Wolves, second placed Chris Eagles inspired Burnley and Playoff Winners QPR. Paulo Souza is later sacked for being too portuguese. Sporting Lisbon win the Champions League in Rome, beating Barcelona in the final 2-1.

June

Rafael Nadal returns at the French Open and retains his title beating the plucky Scot, Murray in the final. Murray is slated for being a choker after losing in the finals of both Grand Slams. Nadal's knee was magically healed...some put it down to Eileen Drewery!

Tiger Woods continues his domination of the Golfing world, winning the US Open in New York. The event ends with Tiger playing the last round blindfolded as he holds a 43 shot lead. He extends his lead.

Fulham are officially crowned UWCC Champions, a now FIFA recognised honour, and a rewarded with a two week holiday in Benidorm. Jimmy Bullard pulls, not his hamstring but a lovely Northern lass named Barbara. Newly acquired Rory Delap breaks his £1m insured arms, falling off a sun lounger.

Part Two Soon To Follow