Fulham

Barney Corkhill's Unofficial World Club Championship (UWCC) saw another defence today, as resilient champions Fulham, the billionaires of Manchester City at Craven Cottage.

Since winning the UWCC title from Tottenham, Fulham have yet to win. Despite this, they were still champions going into this game.

Lying in the top half of the table, Fulham were feeling confident going into this game, where they took on the underachieving Manchester City. Fulham had the second best home record in the Premier League, while City had struggled on their travels so far.

At the end of the 90 minutes, however, both sides shared the points as it finished 1-1.

It looked like it would be Manchester City's day early on when Benjani headed in Pablo Zabaleta's cross inside the first five minutes. Stephen Ireland could have, and perhaps should have, made it 2-0 for the Robinho-less City.

Fulham started to press more and more and, after a few good chances and a strong penalty appeal, they finally got the break-through as Jimmy Bullard started and finished a lovely move, Fulham's first goal as defending UWCC champions.

As the match went on, Fulham looked the most likely to score, putting huge pressure on towards the end of the match, but it finished 1-1, perhaps a bit harshly on the London club.

The result is the third draw in a row in UWCC history, and only the fourth overall. It was Manchester City's second crack at the title, the first coming in a 2-1 defeat to Tottenham, but once again they fell short.

64 percent of the 25 voters on the poll correctly said that Manchester City wouldn't beat Fulham, so well done to them! Once again, I got it wrong, which makes five matches in a row!

History

Chelsea 4-0 Portsmouth

Stoke 0-2 Chelsea

CFR Cluj 0-0 Chelsea

Chelsea 2-0 Aston Villa

Middlesbrough 0-5 Chelsea

Chelsea 1-0 AS Roma

Chelsea 0-1 Liverpool (Liverpool become new champions)

Liverpool 1-0 Portsmouth

Tottenham 2-1 Liverpool (Tottenham become new champions)

Tottenham 4-0 Dinamo Zagreb

Manchester City 1-2 Tottenham

Tottenham 4-2 Liverpool

Fulham 2-1 Tottenham (Fulham become new champions)

Liverpool 0-0 Fulham

Aston Villa 0-0 Fulham

Fulham 1-1 Manchester City

Fulham's next title defence comes next Saturday as they travel to Stoke. Could Rory Delap's long throw help Stoke overcome Fulham and give them the title of the greatest club side in the world?!

Another tough weekend for the Big Four as things get a little tighter at the top of the English Premier League after week 15.

Winners

Bolton Wanderers
It has been well documented that I am not a fan of Bolton boss Gary Megson and his $20 million summer signing, Johan Elmander. When they lost to Tottenham on Harry Rednapp’s Spurs Coronation Day back on October 26, Bolton were rooted at the bottom of the table.

Since then, Bolton have won four of their last five matches and now sit in the top half of the table—seven places above Spurs. Elmander has responded with three goals in the last two weeks and Megson should be the Premier League Manager of the month for November.

Fulham
Only Chelsea, Manchester United, and Liverpool have a better defensive record than Fulham this season. Fulham’s problems are scoring goals as only West Brom have scored fewer goals this season. Buying a proven goal scorer is high on Roy Hodgson’s Christmas wish list.

Arsenal
I am getting fed up putting Arsenal in the winners category one week and the losers the next. Arsenal’s inconsistency this year will cause them the title.

Arsenal are at their best when they play against teams that can play attractive soccer, like Chelsea and Manchester United. That is why I think that Arsenal have a better chance of winning in Europe than they do domestically.

Manchester United
It has been a stuttering start to the season for the Champions we now sit six points back of Liverpool with a game in hand. With Chelsea, Liverpool, and Arsenal all to traveling to Old Trafford after Christmas, it must worry Liverpool fans that United are still hanging around.

Wigan
It has been a good week for Wigan. They were fortunate to beat both Everton and West Brom, but they did nick both games, and as a result are sitting in 11th position with 19 points instead of second bottom with 13 points.

Losers

Chelsea
The fortress that was Stamford Bridge has gone as they have dropped 12 points at Stamford Bridge already this season. More worrying to Chelsea fans is that Chelsea have already played Arsenal, Liverpool, and Manchester United at home this season and have only managed one point.

Liverpool
Liverpool had a great chance to go three points ahead of Chelsea and, instead, could only manage a disappointing draw at home against a poor West Ham team. With Fernando Torres out with another hamstring injury, Liverpool have failed to score in their last two Premier League matches. With only 21 goals in their 15 league games, Liverpool are scoring almost a goal less a game than Chelsea.

Phil Scolari
The British media fell all over themselves lauding Big Phil when his Chelsea team destroyed Portsmouth on the opening day of the season. Teams have caught on that Big Phil likes his full backs to attack down the wings and have started to plan against it. Big Phil has not adjusted.

Three months into the season Chelsea are losing to their main rivals in the Premier League, are out of the Carling Cup and have still not qualified for the knockout stages of the Champions League. Not quite the first three months that Peter Kenyon and the rest of the Chelsea brain trust envisioned.

Titus Bramble
All three of the clear-cut chances West Brom had at Wigan were the direct consequence of a Bramble error.

Has there been a worse defender in the history of the Premier League?

West Brom
Eleven goals in 15 games is the sort of fire power that gets a team relegated and that is what will happen to West Brom this season. 

Aston Villa
Similar to Arsenal, I am fed up bouncing Aston Villa from the winners to the losers column every week as their inconsistency is driving me crazy. The fourth Champions League place is within Aston Villa’s reach if they can sustain a consistent run of form. Or will Villa bottle it and come in fifth this season?

Barney Corkhill's Unofficial World Club Championship (UWCC) saw another defence today, as unlikely champions Fulham took on Martin O'Neill's Aston Villa at Villa Park.

Once again, the champions were underdogs against an Aston Villa team who beat Arsenal and played Manchester United to a draw in their last two fixtures, results which had left them sitting pretty in fourth place.

Fulham weren't in bad form either—beating Newcastle and Tottenham, and drawing against Liverpool so far this month.

As it was, both teams extended their respective unbeaten runs.

Aston Villa pressed for the whole match, especially in the second half, and at one time, they had five corners in quick succession, but somehow, they didn't score.

Ashley Young had another good game, and was responsible for setting up great opportunities for teammates Steve Sidwell and Gareth Barry, which they squandered.

Villa threatened with high balls into the box, and you couldn't help but think that if John Carew had been playing, they could have won, at least 3-0.

But, for the second time in a row, Fulham held their opposition to a 0-0 draw, which is the first time in UWCC history that we have had back-to-back goalless matches. Fulham are still yet to score as defending UWCC champions.

It was Villa's second shot at the title, their first coming back on October 5, when they lost to Chelsea, 2-0. It was also the 10th time that the UWCC title has been held in a Premier League fixture.

70.3 percent of 64 voters on the poll said that Villa would not beat Fulham to claim the UWCC title, so well done to all those who got that right! I got it wrong for the fourth week in a row!

History

Chelsea 4-0 Portsmouth

Stoke 0-2 Chelsea

CFR Cluj 0-0 Chelsea

Chelsea 2-0 Aston Villa

Middlesbrough 0-5 Chelsea

Chelsea 1-0 AS Roma

Chelsea 0-1 Liverpool (Liverpool become new champions)

Liverpool 1-0 Portsmouth

Tottenham 2-1 Liverpool (Tottenham become new champions)

Tottenham 4-0 Dinamo Zagreb

Manchester City 1-2 Tottenham

Tottenham 4-2 Liverpool

Fulham 2-1 Tottenham (Fulham become new champions)

Liverpool 0-0 Fulham

Aston Villa 0-0 Fulham

Fulham's next title defence comes next Saturday as they host the billionaires of Manchester City at Craven Cottage. Can Man. City beat Fulham and become the greatest club side in the world?!

Barney Corkhill's Unofficial World Club Championship (UWCC) saw another defense today as newly crowned champions Fulham took on former champions Liverpool.

It was the first time Fulham had the chance to defend their status as the UWCC champions, but the odds were against them.

They came up against a Liverpool side in good league form, joint top of the table with Chelsea, and in the middle of their best ever start to a Premier League season. There was also the added obstacle of it being at Anfield.

Fulham, who won the title after shocking Liverpool's conquerors Tottenham last week, were certainly the underdogs.

But, at the end of the 90 minutes, they walked off the Anfield turf still UWCC champions.

In a frustrating match, neither side could break the deadlock as it finished 0-0. After an even first half, in which Robbie Keane missed the best chance, Liverpool pressed for the expected winner in the final 45 minutes.

But, despite efforts from the returning Fernando Torres and top-scorer Dirk Kuyt, no goal materialized.

On the bright side for Liverpool, Chelsea were also held to a goalless draw at home against Newcastle, so they haven't lost any ground on the other West London club.

The result is only the second 0-0 draw in UWCC history, and means that Liverpool have only won one of their three games as challengers for the crown.

Remarkably, 100 percent of people predicted that Liverpool would beat Fulham and be crowned as UWCC champions, so I have no-one to congratulate this week for getting it right!

History

Chelsea 4-0 Portsmouth

Stoke 0-2 Chelsea

CFR Cluj 0-0 Chelsea

Chelsea 2-0 Aston Villa

Middlesbrough 0-5 Chelsea

Chelsea 1-0 AS Roma

Chelsea 0-1 Liverpool (Liverpool become new champions)

Liverpool 1-0 Portsmouth

Tottenham 2-1 Liverpool (Tottenham become new champions)

Tottenham 4-0 Dinamo Zagreb

Manchester City 1-2 Tottenham

Tottenham 4-2 Liverpool

Fulham 2-1 Tottenham (Fulham become new champions)

Liverpool 0-0 Fulham

Fulham's second title defense comes next Saturday as they travel to Villa Park to take on Martin O'Neill's Aston Villa. It will be Villa's second shot at the UWCC crown, can they beat Fulham to become the greatest side in the world?!

Tottenham's recent revival under Harry Redknapp was halted at Craven Cottage today as Fulham won a pulsating match by a score of 2-1.

Ex-Spurs player Simon Davies came back to haunt his old club with an innocuous shot that the error-prone Heurlelho Gomes fumbled into the back of the net. Andy Johnson added a close range second before Fraizer Campbell scored a late goal to give Spurs some hope.

The result sees Spurs fall back into the bottom three while Fulham move into the top half of the table. So far this season Fulham have 17pts, 16 of those were accumulated at Craven Cottage, so today was going to be a stern test for a Spurs side rejuvenated since Redknapp took over.

Fulham started brightly and went close early on as Gomes pulled off some great saves from the other ex-Spurs players in the Fulham line-up, Zamora and Danny Murphy.

With Gomes on such good form and Spurs controlling midfield it only looked a matter of time before Spurs started to test the Fulham rearguard.

Fulham had other ideas though, and as Simon Davies whipped in a cross towards Zamora the ball flicked off Woodgate's head and was directed straight at Gomes, who somehow bundled the ball into the back of the net.

Harry Redknapp has been speaking about Shay Given recently and something has to be done about the goalkeeping situation come January. Newcastle won't want to lose one of their "jewels", but a transfer fee of £5M combined with a wage bill reduction of £60k a week would mean an instant injection of £6.5M for Joe Kinnear (if he's still there).

For the rest of the half Fulham remained in control as the lack of confidence Spurs had under Ramos returned in spades.

Redknapp made two changes at half-time as the ineffectual pairing of Modric and Huddlestone made way for Pavyluchenko and Lennon as Spurs chased the game.

Initially the move paid off as Spurs looked more dangerous in attack, Bent coming into the game for the first time as the presence of Pavyluchenko spread the Fulham defence.

But Spurs have been brittle when it comes to defending set-pieces lately. They have conceded goals from corners in all of their last few games, and against Fulham the trend continued.

Bullard crossed the ball and with the Spurs defence at sixes and sevens as they expected Gomes to come for the ball. Instead he stayed rooted to his line, as this realisation dawned on the Spurs defence they scrambled to recover, but Andy Johnson nipped in to score his fourth goal in a Fulham jersey.

Campbell was brought in for Bent, the recent good form of the ex-Charlton man has seen Capello name him in his latest squad but he was poor against a well marshalled Fulham defence.

Within minutes of his arrival, Campbell had scored to give Spurs a lifeline. Jenas made a great run from his own half, he found Bentley in space who, with a superb piece of vision, found an unmarked Campbell on the edge of the box. He guided his right footed shot around Schwarzer as the ball settled in the bottom corner.

Spurs pushed on in search of an equaliser, but credit to Roy Hodgson. He pushed an extra man forward and Fulham looked increasingly dangerous on the break as the game filtered out.

Hodgson was delighted with the win, which saw Fulham move into the upper reaches of the table, after the match he said: "Over the 90 minutes, the way we played and the amount of pressure we put on the Spurs defence, I don't think we've got any reason to do other than pat ourselves on the back and claim our victory".

A less happy Redknapp now sees his team return to the relegation zone after an unbeaten run that had seen them take points from Arsenal and Liverpool. As an experienced manager he should know that his initial arrival at the club marked an instant improvement, now he'll have to pick these players up for the next match.

Redknapp said: "We started in second gear and looked like we were getting into the game until we gifted them a goal.

"It was a farcical goal, but he's my goalkeeper. He's got to do his job (but) this is the situation I have."

Spurs fans will be hoping that the rumours about Shay Given are a little more substantial come January. Otherwise it will be a long tough season.

Eleven games into the Premiership season, and it seems any signs of relegation candidates are subtle at best. Normally by this time, almost a third of the way into the season, it would be apparent who is going to struggle to keep their place among the elite in tact.

The resurgent Tottenham Hotspur aside, no team is adrift at the bottom, so it really could be a guessing game for a number of months yet. Just four points separate Everton in 7th and West Brom in 19th, so only half a dozen clubs can afford to avoid looking over their shoulder.

Starting from the bottom, the aforementioned Spurs really shouldn't struggle to stay up. They had a terrible start to the season under Juande Ramos, but in Harry Redknapp they now have a manager that will get the best out of a side that promises so much. They'll finish in the top half.

West Brom, one feels, will go down. While some will salute their tenacity and desire to attack any team put in front of them, it could likely end up being their downfall. They've not got enough of a backbone to support their positive play, a point proved perfectly when they couldn't finish off ten-man Blackburn last weekend.

Bolton Wanderers are another side you have to fear for. Kevin Nolan, their midfield star, hasn't been up to much so far this season and Gary Megson isn't renowned for his tactical nous. Whether they go down or not depends on whether they make any decent January acquisitions, preferably grafters excelling in keeping teams up.

Wigan will be fine. Steve Bruce is no stranger to sitting in the bottom six all of a season, and with the livewire Amr Zaki up front and the hard-working Capello favourite Emile Heskey next to him they shouldn't struggle for the goals that will keep them up.

Roy Hodgson's Fulham achieved a minor miracle at the end of last season, and it is starting to look like they can do it again. They've got the right plucky attitude, and with a team of experienced heads like Mark Schwarzer and match-winning talents like Jimmy Bullard and Andy Johnson, they'll stay up. Just don't expect them to set the world alight.

Why isn't Roy Keane deemed to be under-achieving? He has spent an obscene amount of money upgrading his squad, only for Sunderland to be sitting 15th. He's splashed the cash but the Mackems are but a point from the relegation zone. Like Fulham, they are blessed with match-winners like Djibril Cisse and Kieran Richardson, so don't expect them to be sweating next May.

Newcastle have been incredibly inconsistent these last few seasons, but it's there fluctuating and sometimes rare good moments that keep them up. Michael Owen will be fit and filling in with his fair share of goals soon and in Obafemi Martins they can score at any given minute.

Blackburn aren't so hot on paper, and their performance on the pitch hasn't been overly impressive either. Signing a past-it Robbie Fowler seemed like a sign of desperation from new boss Paul Ince, but Paul Robinson in goal was a great signing and they've enough about them to prevent having to look down the table every week.

Stoke City. Punching well above their weight. I have to back them to go down. Don't let the fact they are 12th fool you, they are only two points off the drop zone, and if key players like Rory Delap get injured then Stoke will have very little about them. The set-pieces could dry up any time too. Stoke to go down, but kudos to their "play-our-way" attitude.

As for the others? West Ham shouldn't get into trouble, unless these reports of financial trouble aren't exaggerated and they have to sell off the spine of their team. Portsmouth are the only other team I can see possibly getting sucked into a relegation dogfight. Tony Adams is yet to show any sign of development (it's very early doors I know), and losing Joe Jordan was a huge blow, but they have the quality and will strive to keep it in January I'm sure.

The Prediction? At a real push, I would have to say West Brom, Bolton, and Stoke City. It's just too tight to call though.

After beginning the season on good notes, with wins against Arsenal and Bolton, Fulham looked to be on the right track to avoiding relegation troubles. While Fulham may not be in the relegation zone as of now, they are only out of it on goal difference. That is not a good sign of things to come.

Some of my fellow supporters try to spin the season so far to make things not seem so bad. They say things like, "Well we have given up fewer goals than x number of teams in the EPL, that has to count for something!" or "It's still early in the season."

I heard the same stuff last season when Lawrie Sanchez slowly watched us slip to a position that took the rest of the season to get out of.

While it may be easy to blame it on the players and claim this and that, I would say more blame should be placed on Roy Hodgson. After saving us Cottagers from the drop last season, he could do no wrong in our eyes. That was last season, and this is now. And now we worry about Oll' Roy's game time selections and strategies.

The biggest complaint is the lack of playing time American forward/attacking midfielder Clint Dempsey has had this season. The math just does not add up. He was last season's top scorer with a paltry six goals, but now he can't find valuable time on the field.

What boggles us the most is that he has been replaced by Zoltan Gera. While they both have one goal this season, it is easy to see that Dempsey is the more potent attacker and has created as many chances in a fraction of the time.

We hoped for a start for Dempsey after he came on late at Portsmouth and snatched a point with his goal. If nothing else, it would give Gera a chance to rest since they had three games in a week. But no, it was not to be.

The case of "Duece" is just the beginning. We've seen Hodgson go entire matches without using any subs. This does nothing but keep tired players out on the field, which leads to the inevitable late goal we give up and lose points.

As a fan of Fulham FC, I cannot take another relegation battle like last season. It's to the point when being relegated would almost be welcomed. At least then, one would hope we would be able to win away from Craven Cottage more than twice during Obama's presidency.

I could go on for some time about the current affairs at Fulham FC. Bullard's slump, Murphy's inconsistent play, our attacking ineptitude, etc etc. The one bright spot on the season has been our defense. The back four and the Aussie goalkeeper have kept the Whites in many games until the end. I, for one, do not fault them for our poor form. Hangeland, Hughes (Aaron Hughes), and Paintsil are doing admirably.

I expect a busy January transfer window, with Dempsey and others out, and more players coming in than really needed. Plan to see more good quality players sitting either on the bench or in the stands, and expect Fulham to be fighting it out with four or five other teams by the end of the season.

We are Fulham, and I love it.

In the past few years, the place to be for any American playing soccer in Europe was Fulham. Well, looks like that's not the case any more.

Of the seven Americans that have joined Fulham in the past nine seasons, only one is left - Clint Dempsey.

Here are all the Americans that have played or are still playing for the Cottagers:

Marcus  Hahnemann - played for Fulham from 1999-2001; now plays for Reading in the Championship

Carlos Bocanegra - played for Fulham from 2004-2008; now plays for Stade Rennais in the French Liege 1

Eddie Lewis - played for Fulham from 2000-2002; now plays for the Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer

Kasey Keller - played for Fulham from 2007-2008; now plays for Seattle Sounders FC in Major League Soccer

Brian McBride - played for Fulham from 2004-2008; now plays for the Chicago Fire in Major League Soccer

Eddie Johnson - joined Fulham in 2008; now on loan to Cardiff City

Clint Dempsey - joined Fulham in 2007; still playing for the Cottagers

So what's happening to all these Americans? Why have 3 different Americans left Fulham in the past year? There are several reasons why.

Relegation Scare: First off, there was the relegation scare last season. Fulham had an awful campaign in the 2007/2008 season. They ended up 17th on the table with only 36 points. They only missed relegation by goal difference with Reading. Let's face it, Kasey Keller isn't the greatest goalkeeper around and Brian McBride isn't able to keep up with European soccer anymore.

New Manager: After four years at Craven Cottege (2003-2007), Chris Coleman was given the boot. Then, Lawrie Sanchez was put temporarily in charge. He didn't do much either and in December of 2007, he was kicked out. Now, a new manager is in charge and he has high hopes for Fulham. Roy Hodgson managed to steer Fulham clear of relegation but nothing much more yet. He hopes to improve the state of Fulham and lead them to at least the UEFA Cup. With all the great players at the Craven Cottage, it should be attainable for Fulham...eventually.

New Players and Loss of Faith: Fulham has players that are capable of doing well. The addition of Zoltán Gera has strengthened the Cottager's attacking midfield, a spot that Clint Dempsey excels at. After the scare of relegation, it seems that Hodgson doesn't trust Dempsey. In fact, Dempsey doesn't expect to play much anymore for Fulham and has thought of the possibility of leaving.

So what do you think? Is Fulham no longer the place to be for Americans? If not, what European club is now? Let me know what you think.

Back in the mid-1980s, you could count the number of Americans playing soccer in Europe on one hand (maybe even one finger). Today, over seventy Americans ply their trade in European leagues. While those numbers correctly indicate American soccer has made huge strides over the last two decades, they also are somewhat misleading.

Why?

Because although there may be five dozen or so Yanks playing in Europe, very few play in the top European leagues. Moreover, those who have cracked the top European divisions are not making much noise. At least not this year.

Last year, Americans were popping up all over top teams’ radars. At Fulham alone, almost a half dozen US players contributed to a memorable run out of the relegation ranks. However, as the new EPL season begins, most of the Yanks are gone.

Why?

Well, Brian McBride and Kasey Keller, two of Fulham’s American stars, were past their prime and wanted to finish their careers in MLS. Eddie Johnson, another Fulham acquisition, just couldn’t cut it at the EPL level and was loaned to Cardiff City. Carlos Bocanegra also left Craven Cottage, though he is still playing abroad in France for Rennes.

After years of being able to see familiar faces on the pitch at Prem games, only two US players are still making the grade in the EPL: keepers Tim Howard and Brad Friedel. Sure, Brad Guzan has been signed as Friedel’s backup at Aston Villa, but it is sad that the total number of US players in the EPL today is equal to the number of them on Fulham’s roster alone last year.

Relegation also severely cut the number of Yanks in the Premiership. Bobby Convey and Marcus Hahnemann saw their Reading side pushed down last year and Eddie Lewis and Benny Feilhaber both darted from Derby after one of the most disastrous seasons the EPL has ever seen.

I’ve heard some experts claim the strict work permit restrictions in England are to blame for the lack of top American talent in the league, but I’m not buying it. Only Guzan has had a transfer delayed due to such permits. If the EPL wanted our players, they’d be there.

Now, I know many of you are saying: “well, look at Jozy Altidore and his record signing.” OK. I will.

Jozy’s move to Villarreal is great. I hope he does fantastic, though I doubt he will have many opportunities this season to do so. I’m also encouraged by Michael Bradley’s move to the Bundesliga and Maurice Edu’s transfer to Rangers.

However, it’s telling that the vast majority of US players abroad, unlike Bradley, Edu and Altidore, play for lower division teams or teams in the top divisions of lesser leagues, like in Norway, Belgium and the Netherlands. Until Americans start having an impact on the biggest stages, like the EPL, young US athletes probably won’t even notice. 

Hopefully, the day will come when Americans elevate their games to the point they are interspersed throughout Europe’s top leagues. Until then, the US will have to keep pushing for the chance to earn the type of recognition and respect which can only be earned in the world’s top leagues.

It's something I bet most of you out there don't think about too much, but every season we lose countless players to retirement.

It was watching Soccer Aid that I realised I couldn't remember when Graeme Le Saux hung up his boots?

Most players don't have triumphant farewells like Alan Shearer, for example, and most don't even make the news.

A far cry from their golden days as Premier League stars.

One such man who has slipped away from the world of professional football is Finland's Antti Niemi.

The 36-year-old former goalkeeper has been forced to give up the game due to a wrist injury.

Niemi was always a favourite player of mine, and no one can deny he was a quality 'keeper. It's sad to hear of his retirement.

The Finn started his career at HJK, where he played over 100 games before earning a move to FC Copenhagen in Denmark.

Niemi made quite an impression at the Danish powerhouse and was named the FC Copenhagen Player of the Season in 1997.

His good form earned him a move to Rangers in Scotland, but it was there his career was to stall it's one and only time.

Rangers legend Andy Goram and then German star Stefan Klos held the No.1 spot at Ibrox and Antti could only manage 13 league games during his spell with the Glasgow giants.

One place his career was flourishing, however, was on the international stage where Niemi was Finland's No.1 for over 10 years, before he retired from international football in 2005.

Antti moved onto fellow Scottish side Hearts in 1999, where he re-established himself as a top class goalkeeper. It was during his time at Hearts that the Finn began to garner interest from the English Premier League, and he secured a move to Southampton in 2002.

It was to be a great move for Niemi who flourished in the Premier League, becoming one of the league's best goalkeepers. Southampton reached the FA Cup Final in 2003 and he was also named Finnish Footballer of the Year in what must have been a very happy season for the big 'keeper.

The next year he was voted Southampton's Player of the Season.

Sadly nothing lasts forever, and Southampton's time in the English top flight came to an end. Niemi stayed to try and help them win automatic promotion back to the top flight, but it wasn't to be and after 100+ games for the South Coast side, Niemi packed his bags and headed for London.

His destination was Fulham, where he was again to establish himself in the top flight as one of the best 'keepers around.

The veteran's spell at Craven Cottage was interrupted by injuries however, and his career has now sadly come to an end.

I'll always remember the big man and I'm sure you'll agree, he'll be missed.

Good luck in life Antti, we'll see you around.