Fulham

Fulham manager Rene Meulensteen's latest plan to avoid relegation is to request a loan for Valencia centre attacking midfielder Sergio Canales, per Alan Nixon at the Mirror, so here is a scouting report on the 22-year-old fallen star.

Canales Was Meant To Be La Liga's Next Superstar

As a prodigious talent at Racing Santander, Canales, then an 18-year-old, established himself as one of La Liga's brightest prospects. 

"Right now my preference is for Racing [Santander]," Canales said on January 14, 2010, per Marca (h/t Rupert Fryer at Goal.com). "They are the ones who have given me the confidence to play."

A month later, Canales agreed to a six-year contract with Real Madrid.

The move to Real was meant to catapult Canales into Galactico status, instead, it pushed him into irrelevance.

His first season at Real coincided with Cristiano Ronaldo elevating himself into extraordinary territory.

Playing a free-roaming role on the left wing, Ronaldo scored 40 La Liga goals and created 11 goals as Real led La Liga in goals (102 in 38 league games).

On the right wing was the pacey Angel Di Maria, who ranked sixth in La Liga for assists (11) that season.

Meanwhile, Canales' preferred No. 10 role was occupied by Mesut Ozil, a star for Germany at the FIFA 2010 World Cup, who accumulated 17 assists in his debut La Liga season.

What a career-ruining decision by Canales to move to Real with Ozil at the club, right? Yes and no.

Yes, because Canales did not heed to the free advice given to him by former Barcelona great and manager Johan Cruyff, per El Periodico (h/t ESPN FC):

I don't know if he will end up signing for [Real] Madrid or not, or for any other big club. The only thing that I hope is that, being so young, he isn't ruined.

With the youngsters at Ajax who excelled in the first team and who were the targets of big clubs outside of Holland, my advice was always the same: Stay at least until you are 21, and if you stay until 23, then even better.

At 18, you have so much to learn, as a person and as a footballer, so if you leave for a big club too soon your development isn't complete and you could end up going backwards.

So much so that you could end up being ruined. There are exceptions, yes, but that's what they are, exceptions.

No, as Canales' thought-process was a calculated risk at the time. 

The only valid criticism of Canales was naivety: He did not think Real president Florentino Perez would sign another centre attacking midfielder as Kaka had yet to live up to his €65.8 million evaluation.

In that scenario, Canales believed he could beat out Kaka and statistically, Canales' chances were great.

He scored and created a combined 10 league goals for 16th placed Santander, compared to Kaka's 14 for Real during the 2009-10 season. 

Canales agreed a move to Real on February 13, 2010, per UEFA.com, effective from July 1.

When Real signed Ozil from Werder Bremen on August 18, 2010, per Sid Lowe at the Guardian, you can imagine the anguish and doubt that started to plague Canales' mind.

Here is a quick summary of Canales' first season at Real: Warmed the benches from start to finish seven times in La Liga. Every single one of his league games were sub-affected. Did not score a single league goal. Endured a grade II external lateral ligament sprain of the left ankle, per RealMadrid.com.

In Real's final league game of the season, a 8-1 win over Almeria, Canales watched the entire game from the bench: Ronaldo scored twice (no surprise) but a hat-trick of assists was a pleasant surprise. Jerzy Dudek received an emotional send-off. Esteban Granero replaced Kaka. Joselu scored within two minutes of coming on as a sub.

The expression: "Being kicked to the curb" described how Canales probably felt.

He could not even get minutes in a meaningless game for Real. 

"It looks like a lost season," Canales said, per AS (h/t Alex Soares at Goal.com). "I think with time, I'll see how positive this year was."

You could interpret the latter quote as Canales using his bitter debut season at Real as a motivator to break into Jose Mourinho's squad.

Nope. In hindsight, it may have been Canales' way of saying: "Next season, I'll be a success somewhere else."

Canales was loaned to Valencia, managed at the time by Unai Emery, who had once called Mourinho a "cry-baby", per FourFourTwo.  

Amid three consecutive La Liga starts and a goal against Granada under Emery, Canales was looking like the Santander version again. 

Then in a 1-1 draw against Athletic Bilbao, he "sustained [an] anterior cruciate ligament" injury, per Sky Sports.

He salvaged his season by making a mid-season return against Rayo Vallecano. 

But in his fifth-game back, Canales' knee gave away against Atletico Madrid, per FIFA.com.

He experienced emotional distress at Real by going from Spain's next big hope to a squad player.

On loan at Valencia—Los Che later made the deal permanent—Canales was racked with physical and emotional pain. 

Scroll back up to Cruyff's opinion on Canales: "If you leave for a big club too soon your development isn't complete and you could end up going backwards. So much so that you could end up being ruined."

That is the story of Canales' career so far. 

Canales To Fulham? 

Canales has sleek ball-control, he is technically proficient and who knows what type of player he would have turned into if he had not suffered two ligament injuries.

Now Fulham can take advantage of his pedigree. 

Canales has predominantly started in the No. 10 position and has seen game-time as a left-attacking midfielder.

His best moments this season have been speeding down the left flank and sending in precise ground-balls for his teammates. 

In the 1-0 win over Granada, he raced past Granada's Alvaro Garcia and squared the ball to Jonas, who scored a dramatic 93rd minute winner for Valencia.

In the 2-2 draw against Real Valladolid, Canales was afforded time and he punished Valladolid by finding Sofiane Feghouli, who finished past Valladolid goalkeeper Diego Marino.

There are two positives for Fulham: Those two assists indicate that Canales still can get evade opposing defenders even after his two career-debilitating injuries. 

Secondly, Canales can play centrally and out wide for Meulensteen. 

Though, both of Canales' assists were under former Valencia manager Miroslav Djukic, who was sacked, per BBC Sport.

Canales has struggled to assert himself under Djukic's successor, Juan Antonio Pizzi, who was blunt in his assessment of the former Santander prodigy, per Inside Spanish Football:

About Canales, the only thing I'll say is that he's always trained well, that he has certain key qualities for a leading team.

When I don't see it as the right time or think it's not the right time [for Canales to start], it's not a matter of saying: 'I'm not playing and now I'm going.'

In this profession, a footballer has responsibilities and one of them is fighting against adversity.

There's no possibility as of today, that we'll let go of any players. The squad is very small and the need for everyone we have is absolute.

Why would Fulham be interested in Canales?

He could be the transfer alternative to Ravel Morrison, whose club West Ham United, are refusing to sell him to Fulham, unless a £10 million bid is lodged, per Matt Law at the Telegraph.

English Premier League clubs are only allowed four loans in one season, per EPL rules, temporary transfers, page 194, v.7.5: "The maximum number of temporary transfers to any one club registrable in the same season shall be four."

Fulham already have Adel Taarabt (Queens Park Rangers), Clint Dempsey (Seattle Sounders) and Darren Bent (Aston Villa) on loan, so Canales could be the Cottagers' fourth and final loan—their last chance saloon.

@allanjianga

+allanjiang

Statistics via WhoScored, FFT Stats Zone, Squawka and Transfermarkt.

It's Fan Friday at Bleacher Report, and courtesy of the fine people at Fulham (@FulhamFC), we have a fabulous prize for you in today's competition.

You could win a shirt signed by returning loan star and Fulham hero Clint Dempsey.

It's the perfect prize for a Fulham fan, a U.S. supporter or just someone who loves the game.

The competition is open worldwide. If you're a Fulham fan abroad, scroll down to the bottom for information on how to follow the club wherever you are.

How to win

It couldn't be simpler: To win the shirt, all you need to do is jump on to Twitter and retweet the tweet below.

WIN! @FulhamFC have given us a signed @clint_dempsey shirt. RT this and follow @br_uk by 18:00 UK time to win it! pic.twitter.com/pG0d7arYp6

— Bleacher Report UK (@br_uk) January 24, 2014

Be sure to follow @BR_UK on Twitter (just click the follow icon above) to check whether the prize is coming your way.

Double your chances of winning!

You can also enter the competition via Facebook by joining us on Bleacher Report UK.

Like and share the competition post, and we'll add you to the draw. 

You can enter once on Twitter and once on Facebook, so do both to double your odds of winning the shirt!

Results

You can enter the competition on Twitter and Facebook until 18:00 UK time.

We'll then select a winner at random and announce the results on Twitter and Facebook soon after.

Fans interested in additional information on Fulham can find them online here, and on Twitter at @FulhamFC  and @Clint_Dempsey.

Fulham fan abroad? You can sign up for international membership of the Cottagers, with benefits such as digital magazine, Fultime, retail offers, membership cards and more. Find out more here.

Fulham also has official supporters clubs in Italy, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Ireland, the Netherlands and the USA.

There are four official supporters clubs in the USA for this season and all the info on FulhamUSA, Fulham Texas, FulhamNYC and Fulham Florida can be found here.

After a somewhat disappointing spell with the Seattle Sounders of MLS, American star Clint Dempsey is back with the Premier League's Fulham, and he is making his second debut for the Cottagers Saturday, according to the club's official Twitter account.

Fulham is taking on Norwich City away from home at Carrow Road in an important FA Cup third-round encounter. Both sides are struggling mightily in the EPL this season, so FA Cup success may be their only hope to salvage this campaign.

Dempsey spent six fantastic years at Fulham and scored 58 goals as a member of the Lilywhites. Dempsey didn't have nearly as much success with Tottenham Hotspur, which ultimately led to him joining the Sounders.

Unfortunately for Dempsey, he was injured for much of the MLS season. He was limited to just nine starts for Seattle, during which he scored one goal and assisted on another.

Not only is the two-month loan to Fulham good for Dempsey in terms of regaining his form, but it is also a major coup for the Cottagers considering Dempsey's FA Cup track record, per ESPN's Paul Carr.

One person who is particularly excited about Dempsey's return to Fulham is United States men's national team boss Jurgen Klinsmann. According to Sky Sports, Klinsmann believes that returning to arguably the highest level of soccer will be great for Dempsey moving forward.

Obviously, we are pleased with Clint Dempsey, our captain, making the jump for two months to Fulham to get games in now. He had a very difficult couple of months because of injury and the transition back into MLS.

I think it's a great decision from Clint to start off the year in the right way going on loan for two months to Fulham, his old team. They need him to get them back up in the table of the league, and he will come already in good shape back into MLS. That is great!

Dempsey will surely be a part of Team USA for the 2014 World Cup unless injury strikes, but the squad needs Deuce at his best in order to make it out of the group stage and make a run through the tournament.

Perhaps some time with Fulham is just what the doctor ordered.

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Tottenham Hotspur produced a thrilling comeback on Wednesday, beating Fulham 2-1 thanks to late goals from Vlad Chiriches and substitute Lewis Holtby.

In what was Rene Meulensteen's first game in charge at Craven Cottage, Ashkan Dejagah gave the home side the lead, but Spurs turned the screw in the final quarter and earned their first league win since the end of October.

Meulensteen's side then came agonisingly close to levelling the London derby with the last kick of the game, but Pajtim Kasami's effort bounced off the post.

Defeat was harsh on the Cottagers, as they looked to be heading to victory before Chiriches' equaliser.

And there was nothing they could do about Holtby's stunning winner, with the midfielder picking up Kyle Walker's pass before unleashing an unstoppable drive into the top corner.

Though the result didn't go his way, Meulensteen will have been encouraged by his new players. All eyes are on the former Manchester United coach as he attempts to guide his new team away from the relegation places.

After the final whistle, the 49-year-old told BBC Sport: "I thought we were good and well organised. I said to the players I want an inspired performance, that is how we win the fans back, and we did that.

"Dimitar Berbatov was phenomenal, the way he led the line was evidence of his quality. No-one knows him better than me because I worked with him for a long time.

"I think we are hard done by with some results but it is up to the players, I refuse to get negative."

  

Player	Rating
Stekelenburg	6
Riether	7
Hughes	6
Senderos	6
Riise	7
Parker	7
Karagounis	8
Dejagah	7
Kasami	7
Kacaniklic	6
Berbatov	8
Substitutions
Sidwell	6
Duff	6
Ruiz	7

Player	Rating
Lloris	9
Walker	7
Chiriches	7
Dawson	6
Vertonghen	6
Sandro	6
Capoue	6
Lennon	7
Paulinho	6
Lamela	6
Defoe	6
Substitutions
Holtby	8
Chadli	7
Townsend	7

Dimitar Berbatov's agent has confirmed the Fulham striker wishes to leave Craven Cottage and is seeking a new club with urgency.

UPDATE: Thursday, Dec. 5, at 10:55 a.m. GMT

However, Fulham boss Rene Meulensteen is confident he can persuade the Bulgarian to stay, per Sky Sports:

I've not seen or heard what he's said, but if anyone knows Dimitar it's me.

Look at that performance tonight (against Tottenham) and tell me he doesn't want to play for this club.

---End of Update---

Emil Dantchev, the player's guiding force, spoke bluntly about the former Manchester United man's desire to call quits on his time in London, per Sky Sports:

I don't usually speculate as nobody knows what will happen in January but what I can tell you is he (Berbatov) is not happy at Fulham.

He would like, if possible, to find another option.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WharJMsFekc

Despite his reputation for being lazy, Berbatov is likely to attract the attention of many clubs throughout Europe. The Bulgarian's contract expires at the end of the season, suggesting the Cottagers may have to sell him in January to receive compensation for his exit.

Trabzonspor recently confirmed they are interested in bringing Berbatov to the Turkish Super League, per Simon Jones of the Daily Mail.

Quite remarkably, La Liga giants Barcelona have also been touted as a potential destination. Gerardo Martino is rumoured to be looking for an out-and-out striker without needing to spend too heavily, per Ben Jefferson of the Express.

Lionel Messi has rubbished claims suggesting the 32-year-old could fill in for him at the Camp Nou, reported by Paul Gorst of the Mirror:

It’s not my business to interfere with the club’s transfer decisions but I think it’s impossible for Dimitar to join Barcelona

I haven’t heard the rumour that Berbatov is linked to Barcelona. In fact he is a good player, he has experience in a big team.

After scoring 15 goals in his first season with Fulham, per ESPN FC, Berbatov has quickly slumped toward the disillusioned player who left Old Trafford for the same reason in 2012. He had two goals in 12 appearances this campaign prior to the Tottenham game and has appeared uninterested in helping the team in its battle against relegation.

Meulensteen recently replaced Martin Jol in the Fulham hot seat and it seems he is confident he can convince his one-time United colleague of putting up a fight in Fulham's favour.

Dantchev confirmed no clubs have been in contact yet, per the original Sky Sports report:

"I cannot comment (on whether there has been any approach) but the priority is to find a solution to stay in England," said the agent.

Although Berbatov is a fantastic player when he decides to pick up his feet, his graceful technique and eye for the spectacular doesn't outweigh his lack of effort, a trait emphasised in struggling teams like Fulham.

Barcelona may be linked with his signature, but this move is highly unlikely. Berbatov hasn't shown anywhere near the form or consistency to receive such a prestigious transfer and would be an underwhelming acquisition for La Blaugrana.

The Bulgarian has huge work to do if he is to interest a club of this stature or any Premier League team who may fill his seemingly strict criteria.

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Let’s get this out of the way early: Fulham are in trouble.

The Cottagers could be facing a long season. This year’s edition of the Premier League is deeper than ever, as teams that normally spend time as fodder for the big clubs have closed the gap with the country’s top teams.

Newcomers Hull and Cardiff are enjoying life above the drop zone, while the Cottagers currently find themselves staring into the deep, dark eyes of relegation coming off three losses by a combined 9-1 score line.

To Fulham’s credit, they have talent. The strike-force of Dimitar Berbatov and Darren Bent is potent, to say the least. Berbatov is a world-class striker when he actually decides he wants to be, and Bent is a proven Premier League scorer.

However, the problem lies outside of those two, as Fulham desperately require a player who could close the gap between the midfield and their two striking talents.

Enter Clint Dempsey.

Dempsey, who plied his trade at Craven Cottage for six years, is currently being shopped for a winter loan by MLS side Seattle Sounders. Dempsey could prove to become a big-time addition to a Premier League side, just like fellow MLSers Landon Donovan and Theirry Henry before him.

It all leads the way to a storybook reunion as the Daily Mail states that Fulham are interested in bringing back the former attacking midfielder who scored 60 goals for the club in 225 appearances.

Fulham and Dempsey are a match made in heaven. They’re familiar with one another, so the transition would be slim-to-none. They’re both motivated, as Dempsey will be looking to represent the MLS brand overseas in Fulham’s relegation fight.

But most importantly, it would address a need, as Fulham desperately require that last piece to get them back to a mid-table comfort zone.

There are a few roadblocks—Spurs have first refusal on their former £6 million man, while West Ham are also believed to be interested in the American.

However, a Dempsey reunion in London would be a great move for both sides, as Dempsey could prove to be a major reinforcement in Fulham’s fight against the drop.

Can Fulham avoid the drop? Have a say with a comment below or tweet @R_Tolmich with your opinion!

Fulham Football Club have confirmed the arrival of Rene Meulensteen as Head Coach on their official website.

The Dutchman will work alongside current incumbent Martin Jol to improve performances in the team and raise the standard of play.

Speculation was rife that the Cottagers would ditch their manager during the international break and start fresh, but instead have sought to appoint an influential, knowledgeable source to work alongside their beleaguered leader.

After a decade at Manchester United working under Sir Alex Ferguson, Meulensteen left the club at the time of the Scot's retirement. He chanced first-team management, but was quickly removed from his position as manager of Anzhi Makhachkala during one of the most famous U-turns in the history of football chairmen.

Since then he's been looking for work, and West London is his landing spot. The job? Sort out a bit of a mess at Craven Cottage, and to do so, the first issue he must address is the tactical imbalance in the side.

The warning sides were there in the summer: After a great opening salvo of transfers that included Fernando Amorebieta, Maarten Stekelenburg and the permanent signing of Sascha Riether, things started to go a little pear-shaped.

Adel Taarabt and Darren Bent were recruited—both single-minded attacking players with little to no work ethic defensively—and questions were raised over how Fulham were set to balance themselves moving forward and tracking back.

Adding Taarabt and Bent to the existing collection of Dimitar Berbatov and Bryan Ruiz is a madman's move (unless you're Manchester United), and the signing of Scott Parker soon followed.

The intent was clear: We need some grit, some solidity, to counteract the incredible amount of flair and goalscoring potential up top. None of the four players in advanced positions have a track record of tracking back, and the onus is too often falling upon a beleaguered midfield.

Parker's role was clear-cut, but he's struggling to ace it given the immense workload on his shoulders. He's not a mobile runner anymore, and when Steve Sidwell isn't on his game, the Cottagers can struggle to even supply their mercurial playmakers.

Fulham's record in the league isn't the worst this season, but their three victories have come against Stoke City, Crystal Palace and Sunderland. These are teams everyone would expect to beat given their respective early form, and the Cottagers' points tally of 10 is, in a way, false.

Jol's XI is either gung-ho attacking with a lack of balance, or ultimately defensive and struggling to get out of its own half. Southampton and Liverpool have both made them look like a lower-league club in recent weeks, and it's not solely down to to the strength of the opposition.

It's been a dodgy start to the season for Fulham, and Shahid Khan has decided Jol needs help, not firing.

Is it a precursor to Meulensteen taking the reins in a month, or is it a genuine partnership? Whatever the situation, both men need to get their heads together and sort out the balance (or lack thereof) in this side.

Fulham have appointed Rene Meulensteen as their new head coach to work alongside manager Martin Jol at the Premier League club.

The Craven Cottage side announced the arrival of the former Manchester United first-team coach on their official website, FulhamFC.com.

Meulensteen, 49, worked under Sir Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford as first-team coach between 2008 and 2013. He was released by new United manager David Moyes, who wanted to bring in his own backroom staff.

The Dutch coach will now be charged with helping Jol to maintain Fulham's status in the Premier League.

The London club are currently third from bottom in the table after a run of three successive league defeats, with the most recent being the 4-0 drubbing at Liverpool on Saturday.

During that sequence, Fulham were also knocked out of the Capital One Cup by Leicester City of the Championship.

Now Fulham owner Shahid Khan has moved to lift the team with the arrival of Meulensteen to work alongside compatriot Jol.

Meulensteen told the club's website he and Jol share the same footballing philosophy:

I was impressed by the vision of Shahid Khan and (chief executive) Alistair Mackintosh.

I've spent many hours talking with Martin Jol and we share a vision of how football should be played and how players should be developed.

It's our job to make sure we can bring this vision to life on the pitch for the fans.

Meulensteen was appointed as assistant to Guus Hiddink at Anzhi Makhachkala in July following his departure from United, but his role lasted just 16 days before the Russian club began to cut back costs drastically, as The Guardian reported.

Meulensteen will begin his new role at Fulham with immediate effect, as the club prepare for their next league match against Swansea City at Craven Cottage on Nov. 23. 

Fulham travel to Stamford Bridge this Saturday hoping to extend Chelsea's run of four winless games.

On the back of three consecutive defeats in the UEFA Super Cup, Premier League and Champions League, it could be the perfect time for Martin Jol's side to record their first victory against the Blues since 2005/06.

It could also be the toughest.

Chelsea have had their worst start to a season since the Roman Abramovich era began, and this weekend they will look to get back on track, with Fulham the potential whipping boys.

However the Cottagers do have reason to feel confident. In the last six Premier League meetings between the two sides, Fulham have held Chelsea to a draw on four occasions.

Last season's SW6 derby saw Jol's team come away from Stamford Bridge with a point from a 0-0 stalemate. A drab affair but a point nonetheless.

There were rumblings of dissatisfaction among the home support then, with Rafa Benitez not long in Chelsea job. Now, the same air of discontent threatens to return if results do not take a turn for the better. It must be the season, as even Fulham fans have been on their manager's back of late.

In last term's fixture, Fulham seemed happy to sit back and defend, allowing the hosts possession and attacking on the break. A tactic that Jol will probably be happy to employ on Saturday.

The Dutchman told Fulham's official website that this is a "must-win" game for the hosts:

I think if we beat them it will be the first time that they've lost three games in a week. So it puts a little bit more pressure on them, but I don’t know if it's an advantage or not.

When they lost against Everton, it put pressure on them in the Champions League, so they had to win that game. To talk about must-win games, I think that for Chelsea it’s a must-win game against us because they want to be champions in England.

I won't say there’s nothing to lose when we go there because it’s a difficult game, but I think the last two or three away matches against Chelsea we did quite well.

Over the summer, Jol went about remodeling his squad, most notably signing Scott Parker, Adel Taarabt and Maarten Stekelenburg while bringing Darren Bent in on loan.

Parker may play a pivotal role in this weekend's game. In much the same way that Everton's Gareth Barry managed to impose himself on Chelsea at Goodison Park last week, Parker could be instrumental in breaking up the Blues' play in the center of the pitch.

The former Chelsea man may be 32, but he adds much-needed steel in midfield. He's still a great tackler, vocal and has a tireless work rate. Parker's range of passing and distribution also sees him connecting the back four with Fulham's counter-attacks. In this, Parker takes on a similar role that Danny Murphy had for Fulham—Murphy being a figure that Jol's side have struggled to replace since he departed at the end of the 2011/12 season.

Bryan Ruiz (ankle) is out for this game, as is Aaron Hughes (thigh) and Stekelenburg (shoulder). Dimitar Berbatov will be undergoing fitness tests to see if he is available for selection, as reported by Jacob Murtagh in the Mirror.

Comforting for Fulham is the fact that Chelsea have only scored four goals in the top-flight this season, two of those strikes were from set-pieces and none from a centre-forward.

According to Squawka, the Blues' shot accuracy is only 35 percent and their overall possession stats are 54 percent.

Fulham's numbers are not as different as you would think. The Cottagers have scored three goals so far this season—this figure might have been more, had they not had three goals chalked off for offside against West Bromwich Albion last weekend. In terms of possession they have 49 percent, with a shot accuracy of 48 percent.

Where they differ is in chances created, Chelsea with 50 to Fulham's 25—testament to Mourinho's talent-packed midfield.

And it's here that the game will be won or lost.

Last year, Benitez omitted Juan Mata from his squad, and it will be interesting to see if Mourinho continues to overlook the Spaniard in a starting role. If Fulham can mark Oscar and Eden Hazard as tightly as they did in the same fixture last season, they will snuff out their biggest threat. 

Fulham's back five did well against West Brom last weekend, conceding an equalizer in the 90th minute. If they can stay switched on (and perhaps freshness will be in their favour), Chelsea's misfiring strikers may be denied.

"We had chances and chances but we didn't score," Mourinho said in the Guardian after losing to Everton. "If you don't score you can't win, and what you create means nothing. Artistic football is no good without goals."

Following that 1-0 defeat, Mourinho blamed his players' emotional state for their loss. He was quoted in the Independent as saying:

They did not lose the game tactically, they lost it emotionally. Tactically, they knew what they had to do with three at the back. They know the distance they can go. Emotionally, it is different. You see your watch ticking down, 15, 12, 11... it goes very fast when you are losing and they lost a little bit of emotional control.

Fulham will probably opt to go with their preferred 4-2-3-1 against Chelsea, with David Stockdale in goal, Riether as first choice right-back, with Brede Hangeland and Philippe Senderos in central defence and John Arne Riise at left-back.

Steve Sidwell should get the nod to partner Parker as the holding midfielders, with Adel Taarabt providing creativity on the left, the confident-looking Pajtim Kasami in the middle and, in the absence of Ruiz, experienced Damien Duff starting on the right.

If fit, Berbatov is likely to start as the lone striker, with Darren Bent a great option to have on the bench.

Perhaps Fulham can recapture the form they showed on the opening day of the season, when they beat Sunderland at home. If so, it would be their first win against Chelsea in 14 attempts. 

As Mourinho put it last weekend in the Mirror, "We are not unbeatable."

The Michael Jackson statue, one of football's least-loved monuments, is set to move from its home outside Fulham's Craven Cottage ground.

---

Update: Friday 20 September, 9:30 a.m. 

Fulham have confirmed in a brief statement that the statue will be removed. Club owner Shahid Khan has said the following:

Craven Cottage means the world to generations of Fulham supporters, and I have heard from many of them over the past two months. Our supporters’ views on the statue have been made clear. I respect Mr Al Fayed and know he had good intentions in paying an individual tribute. However, the removal of the statue is the right thing for Fulham Football Club.

---

The Daily Mail report that Mohamed Al-Fayed, who had the tribute to the deceased pop star put up in 2011, is going to take it and relocate it to one of his other properties.

And a Fulham spokesman told the paper that there is no desire from the club's new ownership to fight the Egyptian for the statue.

The statue is not part of the Riverside development of the stadium and will be returned to the former chairman in due course.

The statue has led an interesting two years since it turned up in south-west London.

When fans objected to it appearing in the first place, Al-Fayed told them they could "go to hell." Per the Guardian:

Football fans love it. If some stupid fans don't understand and appreciate such a gift they can go to hell.

I don't want them to be fans. If they don't understand and don't believe in things I believe in they can go to Chelsea, they can go to anywhere else. People will queue to come and visit it from all over the UK and it is something that I and everybody else should be proud of.

And when Al-Fayed finally ended his association with the club this summer and sold it to American owner Shahid Khan, the statue was as much a talking point as the transfer budget.

In the handover, Al-Fayed was quoted as saying that the Jackson statue had to stay, or Khan had to shave off his moustache. Per the Daily Mail:

Michael Jackson will stay. He can't go, he is here. It is part of the deal, it is history, it is listed. You can't change otherwise I will come and take your moustache in public. He knows that.