Not being miserable or anything, but Defoe’s hat-trick probably means Bob’s not going to start for England for a bit.  Shame, I thought he might have done tonight if fit.  Now look what’s happened.

Still, nice win for England, and Captain Murphy’s been a fine pundit, too.

Following the great success of this summer's holiday courses, the Fulham Football Club Foundation are giving young supporters another opportunity to enjoy some fantastic coaching prior to Fulham v Wolves on Saturday 11th September.

The Club is pleased to announce that the first Official International Fulham Members' Clubs have been registered in the form of FFC Sweden, FulhamUSA, and the Fulham Exiles.

Don't miss the action at the Cottage next Saturday (KO 3pm) when Fulham entertain Wolves. Tickets are now on General Sale.

We would like to remind Fulham Members that they only have until midday tomorrow (Saturday 4th September) to take advantage of their exclusive £5 discount off their ticket for Fulham v Wolves next weekend.

So the 25 man squad for the first half of the season has been announced as is the new Premier League rules. No surprises really. Here’s the list:

• Mark Schwarzer,
• David Stockdale,
• John Pantsil,
• Fredrik Stoor,
• Aaron Hughes,
• Rafik Halliche,
• Chris Baird,
• Brede Hangeland,
• Carlos Salcido,
• Stephen Kelly,
• Zoltan Gera,
• Clinton Dempsey,
• Bjorn Helge Riise,
• Dickson Etuhu,
• Kagisho Dikgacoi,
• Danny Murphy,
• Jonathan Greening,
• Simon Davies,
• Damien Duff,
• Andrew Johnson,
• Diomansy Kamara,
• Moussa Dembele,
• Bobby Zamora,
• David Elm,
• Eddie Johnson.

The only thing that worries me slightly is that we only have two recognised goal keepers. And one of them is out for around two months. Pascal Zuberbühler isn’t featured in the 25 man squad at all, meaning if Schwarzer returns to the first team next week we will have a young, untested ‘keeper on the bench.

Elsewhere in the squad both Johnson and Kamara are included showing that Hughes has faith they’ll be fit and ready for the first team before Christmas, whereas Senderos is left out.

On this week's edition of 'Inside Fulham' catch up with Mark Hughes, striker Moussa Dembele and former Whites striker Geoff Horsfield.

Fulham's 2010/11 campaign is well underway and back at Motspur Park training ground Mark Hughes' squad have been sporting the Club's new training gear from kit supplier Kappa. Order yours online or instore today!

Here’s a quick round up of the ins and outs, if I’ve missed any leave it in the comments section and I can edit it in:

In (player/old club/cost) -
Salcido, PSV, Undisclosed (estimated £2 million)
Senderos, Arsenal, Bosman
Dembele, AZ Alkmaar, Undisclosed (estimated £4 million)
Halliche, Benfica, Undisclosed (estimated £1.5 million)
Dalle Valle, Liverpool, Player Exchange
Kacaniklic, Liverpool, Player Exchange
Greening, West Brom, Undiclosed (estimated £2 million)

Out (player/new club/cost) -
Konchesky, Liverpool, Undisclosed (estimated £2.5 million plus two player exchange)
Smalling, Manchester United, Undisclosed (estimated £9 million)
Buchtmann, Cologne, Undisclosed (estimated £200k)
Payne, Gillingham, Undisclosed (estimated free transfer)

Released After End Of Contract -
Andranik
Brown
Omozusi
Foderingham
Kallio
Moscatiello
Uwezu
Nevland
Osei-Gyan
Owusu
note: Omozusi and Brown have sell-on clauses because we weren’t willing to release their registration without compensation

I think we’ve done ok as far as transfers go. Like I’ve said I think we needed a Bobby style player, and with just Kelly as reserve to both full back positions there should be some concern. Stoor’s never looked comfortable since he joined, so maybe this is finally Briggs’ breakthrough season and I really hope he gets a run out at Stoke who will be a test in the Carling Cup. Other than that our squad looks pretty good all over the pitch I reckon.

I was suprised a few players didn’t leave, Eddie Johnson, Elm, Stoor for example. But the strength of this transfer window has been just that, that hardly anyone left. All but one of our key players last season have stayed, and in Salcido we seem to have a very good replacement for Konchesky.

Schwarzer was linked with a move to Arsenal all season, a player that would have helped them immeasurably and why they decided to be so stingy I don’t know, it could well be their shortcoming as it was last season. He stayed however even against his will, which is great news for us and a hark back to the old days where if a club decided a player was staying he was staying. I hope that Fulham fans don’t hold it against him that he wanted a move so badly. Afterall, you couldn’t blame him for wanting a shot at the Champions League and the title, and wanting to move to Arsenal is alot different to wanting to leave Fulham. Reading between the lines it seems that he would have gone should we have signed a replacement but that never materalised and we can look forward to arguably the greatest goalie in our history carrying on with us next season.
Zamora also stayed, which is good for us and for him if the rumours of a double your money contract are true, but I never expected him to leave. Dempsey probably flirted with it, he’s easily good enough to play for a top 10 team yet he’s started one of four games this season so I’m really pleased to see him still here. Other than him, Schwarzer and Konchesky I didn’t think anyone would leave so in terms of that it’s been a great transfer window.

Our ins are quite interesting. We have Dembele who is a player who promises much based on his few appearances so far and looks to be a starter for us already. Senderos is a player I really like and I’m gutted he’s picked up such a bad injury because I think this is the perfect club for him to settle and finally live up to the potential that he showed a few years ago at Arsenal. Halliche who I assume is a replacement for him is an unknown quantity, apart from a few decent performances in the World Cup I haven’t seen or heard much about him. Not even Benfica fans could tell me alot! However he’s cheap and he’ll be our 4th choice defender so even if he turns out to be poor, which I doubt he will, there isn’t much risk.

Salcido has alot to live up to I think as Konchesky’s replacement. Konchesky’s part in our team shouldn’t be underestimated, his attacking and defending play contributing significantly to our recent successes, yet somehow in his most consistant episode of his career he’s been labeled as someone who’s error prone and will garuntee the opposition a golden chance per game which is really unfair. I wish him luck at Liverpool and I’m sure he’ll do well. Salcido excites me though. Someone known for his tenacity, skill, agression, strength, ability to attack and defend equally well and with a beast of a shot on him, sounds like the perfect left back. To make a profit on swapping these left backs and bring in two talented young players (especially Dalla Valle who by all accounts is a very talented young player and one that Elias has been after for a while, we had a 3 million pound bid rejected for him last summer) is really good business, credit must go to Alistair Mackintosh for that. Greening’s signing was just making a loan permanent, I think he’s an alright player who can do a job for us which is all we need in a reserve.

Andranik Wayne Brown Wesley Foderingham Toni Kallio Luca Moscatiello Michael Uwezu Erik Nevland King Osei-Gyan Dan Owusu

Manager Mark Hughes assesses Bobby Zamora's game and speaks of the striker's importance to the Fulham cause.

Fulham Captain Danny Murphy is playing a key role for Mark Hughes on the pitch this season.

The Club can confirm Fulham's 25-man squad for the 2010/11 Barclays Premier League season.

Fulham FC Junior Membership is exclusive for all fans under the age of 16 who get the opportunity to benefit from the cheapest tickets going at Craven Cottage.

But not in the way you might have expected.  Below the line are all (most) transfers since 2006.

First, just goes to show how many players come and go.  We know this, of course, but seeing them all written down is nevertheless very surprising.  

I had a quick look through the ins and figured maybe 19 good signings, 16 bad ones, and another 19 in between.   So the hit rate isn’t marvellous, but generally speaking the good players have been bought at a decent rate.  Only AJ’s price was a bit ‘out there’, even if we question the actual amount.  Greening looks expensive, of course.   Diomansy Kamara is impossible to evaluate, but it’s hard to say he cost too much given subsequent contributions.    Lawrie Sanchez’s signings all look a little overpriced.   Lots of players come and go for nothing.   

Going the other way we have few (any?) regrets.  Steed’s departure arguably set the whole Coleman/Sanchez/Hodgson/Jo…Hughes merrygoround off in the first place, but there was no reason to think Chris was going to turn things around anyway, so in retrospect this wasn’t that big a loss.    Andreasen would perhaps have been useful, Konchesky we don’t know, but otherwise it looks like we’ve generally extracted value (Boa’s fee stands out doesn’t it?). 

In/Out Player Meelions
In Davies 0
In Smertin 0
In Queudrue 4
In Bullard 3.4
In Dempsey 2.7
In Zakuani 1.4
In Runstrom 0.9
In Routledge 0
In Lastuvka 0
In Ashton 0
In Keller 0
In Litmanen 0
In Murphy 0
In Leijer 0
In Seol 0
In Kamara 8.1
In Davis 5.3
In Hangeland 4.2
In Baird 4
In Bouazza 4
In Andreasen 3.8
In Cook 3.4
In Kallio 0.3
In Konchesky 2.7
In Nevland 2.7
In E.Johnson 2.3
In Healy 2
In Hughes 1.4
In Stefanovic 1.4
In Watts 0
In Brown 0
In Kuqi 0
In Stalteri 0
In Schwarzer 0
In Andranik 0
In Zuberbuhler 0
In Gera 0
In Zamora 3.7
In Stockdale 0.4
In Gray 0.4
In Paintsil 3.4
In Stoor 2.7
In Etuhu 1.7
In A.Johnson 12
In Smalling 0
In Kelly 0
In Elm 0.5
In Duff 3.6
In Dikgacoi 0.3
In Riise 1.8
In Greening 4.5
In Senderos 0
In Dembele 5.4
In Halliche 2.3
In Salcido 1.8
 Average 1.863636364
Out Out 
Out Watkins 0
Out Green 0
Out Rehman 0
Out Legwinski 0
Out NJensen 0
Out Sava 0
Out McDermott 0
Out Kazeem 0
Out BoaMorte 6.1
Out Leacock 0.5
Out Malbranque 2.7
Out Pratley 0.1
Out Goma 0
Out Batista 0
Out Crossley 0
Out Radzinski 0
Out Elrich 0
Out James 0
Out Collins 0
Out Diop 0
Out Knight 4.2
Out Queudrue 3.4
Out Helguson 2.6
Out Rosenior 1.7
Out M.Brown 1.2
Out Jensen 0
Out Runstrom 0
Out Zakuani 0
Out Runstrom 0
Out Timlin 0
Out Bocanegra 0
Out Warner 0
Out Ehui 0
Out Litmanen 0
Out Keller 0
Out McBride 0
Out Stefanovic 0.8
Out Zakuani 0.6
Out Bullard 4.7
Out Davis 3.4
Out Andreasen 2.3
Out Healy 1.3
Out Batista 0.1
Out Cook 1.1
Out Ashton 0.09
Out Smertin 0
Out Christanval 0
Out Pearce 0
Out Niemi 0
Out Omozusi 0
Out Bouazza 0
Out Volz 0
Out Moncur 0
Out John 0
Out Gray 0
Out T.Brown 0
Out Seol 0
Out Watts 0
Out Leijer 0
Out Volz 0
Out W.Brown 0
Out Nevland 0
Out Kallio 0
Out Foderingham 0
Out Smalling 7.2
Out Konchesky 3.6
 Average 0.722575758
  
  
  
  
Out Smalling 7.2
Out Bullard 1.3
Out Konchesky 0.9
Out Batista 0.1
Out Ashton 0.09
Out Keller 0
Out Leijer 0
Out Litmanen 0
Out Smertin 0
Out Kallio -0.3
Out Gray -0.4
Out Stefanovic -0.6
Out Queudrue -0.6
Out Healy -0.7
Out Zakuani -0.8
Out Runstrom -0.9
Out Andreasen -1.5
Out Davis -1.9
Out Cook -2.3
Out Nevland -2.7
Out Bouazza -4

All data from here.

So the transfer window slammed disappointingly shut last night. No major moves of note, and who would have thought Sunderland would have been the big spenders? With a total of around £250m spent by top flight clubs this transfer period this has been the quietest since 2006.

At the Cottage we bode farewell to Konch and waved a friendly hello to Lauri Dalla Valle and Alex Kacaniklic from Liverpools reserve side. Now, the Observer claim that these signing are somewhat of a coup for us, but who exactly are they?

Dalla Velle is a young Finnish forward. He played in the Reds Youth team which reached the final in 2009. According to media reports there was some interest in the past from both Barcelona and Ajax in signing him. For a youth system which has seen both Robbie Fowler and Michael Owen pass through it in recent years, when a Liverpool Academy scout says “I would say he is the most natural finisher in the history of our academy,” you should probably take note. Finnish sports magazine Urheilulehti has named him as “ultimately one of the most talented Finnish players of all time” (and we’ve seen Shefti Kuqi play so that’s high praise!)

Sweedish youngster Kacaniklic joins Fulham. Gel suppliers in Putney rejoyce.

Kancaniklic is a Swedish left winger who also played in the Youth Cup final time in 2009. “Alex is a clever, close dribbler whose delivery of the ball into the box is very good.” said Liverpool Academy Manager John Owens. Promoted from the academy to the reserve side after just two years it was thought on Merseyside that he has what it takes to make the step up to Premiership level football.

Christopher Buchtmann in his Liverpool days.

Who remembers the last hot prospect we got from Liverpool? Christopher Buchtmann. Signed by Roy he was trumpeted as being something special for the future. But as is somewhat traditional with Fulham’s young players he didn’t live up to what was promised. A year younger than Dalla Velle, Buchtmann signed an 18 month contract with us in January this year but left us without much noise being made in the summer for him to return home to Germany. Incidentally, where he plays at Koln alongside former Fulham fans favourite Pierre Wome.

What did you think of the transfer dealings then?  Here is a roundup of everything, showing that we’ve balanced the books better than most this off-season (mainly because we had a decent squad and no manager, perhaps!).

The big move was Paul Konchesky to Liverpool.  On the surface this is really disappointing, not least because it’s not a move that, for footballing reasons at least, needed making.  Off the field we can’t know, although those strange rumours about Birmingham being interested in him last season were perhaps the start of something.   If he was unhappy then he was unhappy.   A shame to see the fabled defence disassembled so quickly though.

We have Carlos Salcido in to play left-back (although he’ll be in Mexico until next Tuesday at least, so must be a doubt for the Wolves game), Matthew Briggs looked fair there, and Stephen Kelly is capable of filling in.    It feels like we’re replacing a good player with uncertainty, but I write this without having seen Salcido in action.

I wish Konchesky good luck, and am sure he’ll be a good signing for Liverpool.   You only had to look at Manchester United’s side the other day to realise that not all players at big clubs are famous names, and it’s long been my belief that Konchesky’s a better left-back than all English alternatives not named Ashley Cole.   And if Roy’s assembling a Fulham-like side up there, well, how good would Fulham have been last year with Torres and Gerrard?   They’ll be alright.

Lauri Dalla Valle and Alex Kacaniklic came the other way, of course, and this is where things get interesting.  I can see a point where teams are going to be forced to commit to young players as a way of keeping their wage bills down.   Not yet, maybe not for a few years, but it seems like the only obvious solution to the ongoing losses being made.  Established footballers know their price and take most of the game’s money.   Young players cost less and aren’t necessarily much of a drop-off.

This is for another day, of course, but it is encouraging that we have raided Liverpool’s production line and picked up some of their better kids.   As ever, let’s wait until we see one of them in the first team before getting too excited, but it’s the sort of move we should try more often.

Mark Schwarzer (whose back will just have to mend itself now) is still a Fulham player, which is great.  For one thing he’s a brilliant keeper; for another, his desire to leave gives Hughes every reason to let Stockdale play a bit more (even if he is injured too).   Win-win, after a fashion.

Most surprising was the lack of movement away from the club.  I had expected Diomansy Kamara to leave, plus one or two more.   Didn’t happen, and we must now wait for the 25 man squad to be announced in order to understand who might have a future and who might be going out on loan.

Squad:

Schwarzer;Stockdale
Paintsil; Kelly; Stoor
Hughes; Baird (whose versatility is handy with the defined squad size)
Hangeland; Halliche; (Senderos)
Salcido; Briggs
Davies; Riise
Murphy; Greening
Etuhu; Dikgacoi
Duff; Dempsey
Dembele; Gera
Zamora; Elm; E. Johnson; (A. Johnson)

Which feels okay.  Baird probably ought to be working more in Murphy’s role just to be safe, but we’ve seen no indication from Hughes that this will happen.   There’s no real ‘bombing on’ full-back now, but as previously discussed, we attack in other ways under Hughes, so that’s okay.    Generally everything seems fine, although if we are missing Zamora for a time then this changes things somewhat.  Nevertheless, Hughes seems to have bought well and interestingly, so let’s see what happens between now and January, at which point any holes can be fixed.

12 members of Fulham's First Team squad have been selected by their respective nations for a host of international matches taking place across the globe.

Fulham FC, Air Malta and the Grand Hotel Excelsior are offering you the chance to win one of two holidays to Malta.

And with that we say goodbye to Paul Konchesky, and my friend Jon (who has a little Bro-mance for him) will shed a little tear.

Don't panic! It's just PK and his serial killer-esque eyes who have departed for Liverpool.

One of the few signings by Lawrie Sanchez to be regarded as decent, Paul signed for the Whites in Summer 2007 from West Ham for £3.25m. His time at the Boleyn was cut short with the arrival of Alan Curbishly with whom he’d had a falling out with at Charlton. But their loss was our gain. After muffing up on his debut up at Hull, Konch went on to make 97 appearances for the club and scored two goals. His first being a thunderbolt of a goal, his first for the club, against his old team West Ham in January 2009.

Paul has moved to join up with Roy up at Liverpool for a fee of between £3-4million pounds on a four year deal.  Joining Fulham from Liverpool as part of the deal are youngsters Lauri Dalla Valle and Alex Kacaniklic.

A selection of the best photos from last weekend's Barclays Premier League encounter with Blackpool.