A big game, but not quite a big performance.  Fulham did enough to have a chance of getting through next week, but will regret the way things got away from them tonight.  Two messy concessions inside the area and another from long range is not typical Fulham.   But we are strong at the Cottage; there is hope.

Trezeguet surprised Schwarzer early on with a header that almost scuttled in.  The big man in yellow turned that around the post, but seconds later Leggroteglie smashed home direct from the corner, his jump unimpeded, his header unchallenged.   (soon afterwards, from a Fulham corner, Brede Hangeland had to escape a wrestling hold to get his attempt in on goal – different marking techniques, one more effective than the other).

Not a good start.  It got worse.  Zebina won the ball, jinked inside Davies too easily, jinked past Etuhu who had shifted towards another Juve player, then fired a shot across Schwarzer and into the bottom corner.  Hangeland moved aside to let this go.  It was a fine strike, but our defence doesn’t usually let that sort of thing happen.   Disappointing.

Then came the resurrection.  A soft free-kick awarded for a tug on Zamora, Etuhu on the edge of the box, a poor shot, but the ball takes a deflection and rolls into the net like very relaxed duck drifting down a gentle stream.   2-1, and a general feeling of “we’ll take that” crosses the mind.

But there’s more.  Another corner, Trezeguet shoots, the ball hits the post and bounces back to him (in a crowded area – what are the odds?), and somehow he turns it back towards goal and past everyone, and it’s 3-1.

The second half seemed somehow detached, both teams nervous about giving up further ground.  3-2 would have tilted things our way, 4-1 would have killed the tie, so a gentle stalemate ensued.  Hodgson introduced Clint Dempsey after an hour, but he, like everyone else, was unable to crack this thoroughly impressive Juventus defence.  There were moments of hope: corners, triangles down the right, but our delivery was poor, nobody in a black and white shirt was going to let Duff cut inside and shoot, and chances completely failed to materialise.

This probably feels worse than it is.  We go to Craven Cottage knowing that a 2-0 win will take us through.  Sadly Juventus look like the sort of team who can defend a two goal lead, but you never know, do you?  We didn’t expect to have got this far in the first place.  The game’s not up just yet.

Interesting team news to say the least. Paul Konchesky starts at left back for Fulham for the first time in ages and Clint Dempsey’s amongst only six substitutes. Keanu Marsh-Brown goes from ballooning a spot-kick over the bar on Tuesday night for the U18’s to the bench in Turin.

JUVENTUS (4-3-2-1): Manninger; Zebina, Grosso, Legrottaglie, Cannavaro; Salihamidizic, Marchisio, Poulsen; Candreva, Diego; Trezeguet. Subs: Pinsoglio, Grygera, Sissoko, De Ceglie, Camaronesi, Del Piero, Iaquinta.

FULHAM (4-4-1-1): Schwarzer; Baird, Konchesky, Hughes, Hangeland; Etuhu, Greening, Duff, Davies; Gera; Zamora. Subs: Zuberbuhler, Smalling, Kelly, Marsh-Brown, Dempsey, Nevland.

Juventus were the first foreign team I knew about.   I think it was 1985, the awful Heysel Stadium disaster, Liverpool v Juventus.   The game was an anticlimax, but for a 9 year old me the excitement was extraordinary.    Those black and white stripes!

I didn’t know it at the time, but that Juve side was smoking hot.   Michel Platini, absolutely in his pomp, pulled all the strings, Zbigniew Boniek did the business in the area.     They were an awesome (in the true sense of the word) combination, and for as long as I can remember, Juventus have always been my Italian team (I have teams all over the place that I prefer to others).    I think it’s those black and white stripes.   Or it could be those frightening sides of the Del Piero era (still just about going), when English teams would traipse over to Italy and run smack back into a massive, organised defensive machine.   Roy Hodgson himself once described the Juventus back four and midfield four as ‘like two walls’.    I like that sort of thing.   Even if that team’s accomplishments have been tarred by various chemical and financial misfortunes, that team had mystique.

I love Juventus.   I would have gone today but tomorrow morning I have a board level presentation that simply could not be moved.   So it’s TV for me.  Juventus…

That’s Boniek for you.   Watch these goals – don’t they take you back to a simpler time?    Devilish throughballs, inconvenient finishes, all pulled off with grace and lethality.    It’s poetic, it really is.    What football is about.   All through my adolescence I daydreamed goals, images of players creating and finishing chances.   This is what those goals were like.     This is football.

We have just over half an hour to go.    Feck.   Juventus v Fulham.    Let’s give those words the space they deserve:

Juventus v Fulham

Bring it on.

We’re inching ever closer to kick off in Turin by the second. People will call this Fulham’s biggest game but for me that’s overegging it a little bit. I can think of a few massive games Fulham played at the other end of the spectrum when we clinging on for dear life. Not just to our place in the league pyramid but to our ground and our future as a football club. That’s why you have to enjoy nights like this evening.

There’s one thing you can be sure of: Roy Hodgson will have a plan. Still highly regarded in Italy, especially for his achievements with Internazionale, the Fulham manager is a man schooled in the art of defensive discipline, something the Italians prize over style. Fulham’s first objective tonight will be trying to stop some of the real talent in the Juventus line-up running riot. Alberto Zaccheroni might be without some stellar names due to injury and suspension this evening but there’s still plenty of quality in his side.

Diego will be up for scoring in front of his own supporters and the Brazilian, who reached the final of the UEFA Cup with Werder Bremen last season, will put the tie out of sight long before we reach Craven Cottage next week if he isn’t shackled early. Then there’s the classy Candreva who came on and turned a game that looked to ebbing away from Juve at the weekend. Those two will probably operate behind a lone striker and combative midfield play will be the order of the day.

This is where I’ll be a lot happier with the Etuhu-Greening axis. Plenty of people felt we weren’t progressive enough with the ball against Spurs in the FA Cup and I highlighted how poor Dickson’s distribution was. People rightly responded reminding me that isn’t his role but to me even an anchor midfielder should be able to pick a pass. Etuhu assures us there’s better ahead – let’s hope he’s ready to go to war tonight.

Greening will be a more conservative replacement for Murphy and, in a match like this, were you have to guard against being blown away by the home side, that’s okay. Much will depend on the wide players and how Gera and Zamora interlink.

Just thinking about it makes you want to wish those minutes away.

MY FULHAM XI (4-4-1-1): Schwarzer; Baird, Kelly, Hughes, Hangeland; Etuhu, Greening, Davies, Duff; Gera; Zamora. Subs: Zuberbuhler, Smalling, Konchesky, Riise, Marsh-Brown, Elm, Nevland.

… we are Fulham as Mo so memorably put it. And we’ve lasted longer in European competition than the galaticos. Unbelievable.

John Pantsil says Fulham’s progress under Roy Hodgson means they aren’t daunted by even the most illustrious of opponents.

We’re not afraid of anyone – whoever comes, we are ready. I’m not used to losing games. I just go for victory.

He [Hodgson] has done well. He has time for each and every [player]. He has changed the team, he has lifted the team to a certain level. His training makes us feel more relaxed and more comfortable with our positions on the pitch. He is experienced.

He knows how to coach his players to play European football.

Nice bit on the fans who love him so much.

The fans deserve everything I give them on the pitch, because they show appreciation. Whether it’s raining or not, they’re sitting, shouting, singing. So every game the team wins, I have to give them the lap of honour. They deserve it.

Jonathan Greening says Fulham will have to call on some of that Shakhtar spirit to compete with the mighty Juventus in Turin tomorrow night.

It’s just what dreams are made up. If we can put in a good performance like we did against Shakhtar – then everything is possible. We’re well prepared under the gaffer because everyone knows their jobs.

Danny Murphy’s suspension gives Greening an opportunity against Juventus, though he’s had plenty of European action already this season.

I knew we would be in Europe this year and that’s one of the reasons I came. Danny’s captain and has been playing well – but it gives me a chance to come in and do well. Every player wants to play in these type of games.

Juventus on Thursday. Still can’t really get my head around that.

La Vecchia Signora has seen better days than this by the sounds of it. Expectations are always high for a team that’s won the Serie A title 27 times – even if there’s still a stench after calciopoli – and poor old Ciro Ferrara couldn’t stand the heat. Brought in as a temporary replacement for Claudio Ranieri at the end of last season, Ferrera oversaw a truly disastrous start to this campaign which saw Juve crash out of the Champions’ League, the Coppa Italia and slumped to the relatively troubling position of sixth in the table.

Alberto Zaccheroni has since stepped in and steadied the ship. Sunday’s 2-1 win over Fiorentina took Juventus back into the Champions’ League places and had Alessandro Del Pierro purring about the prospect of winning the Europa League. Diego scored an early goal and hopes to break his ‘home’ duck even if the game won’t be played at Juve’s traditional home.

Zaccheroni, who says he’s fully focused on Fulham, hasn’t escaped criticism, though, or more accurately fire. Their previous performance against Palermo was so bad that their fans decided some arson was in order. It’s not as if that burning desire was unique: seats were set alight against Milan in January, when Juve were beaten 3-0. How might they react if Bobby belts in another screamer?

As well as considering donning some productive clothing, Zaccheroni’s got a few injury problems to deal with. Buffon won’t feature leaving the shaky Alex Manninger, once of Arsenal, as the last line of defence. Fabio Cannavaro could be pressed into service in central defence despite only returning to training this week and Fabio Grosso must be the favourite to start at left back after his stunning strike in Florence.

Felipe Melo is missing through suspension, so it’s a bit of a guessing game as to how Juventus might play it in midfield. The clever Candreva energised a flagging side against the Viola at the weekend and playing him alongside Diego, the Brazilian who shot to prominence  – in Europe at least – with Werder Bremen, would certainly keep Etuhu and Greening occupied.

For all those of you fearing the worst in Turin, here are a few interesting stats:

• Juventus haven’t beaten an English side at home in their last four attempts (with three draws and a defeat) since beating Newcastle in the 2002/03 Champions’ League.
• Juve have lost all four of their two-legged knockout ties against English clubs since they beat Liverpool 1-0 on that horrid night at Heysel.
• Fulham have lost just one of their four games against Italian opposition – and that was a battling performance. Junichi Inamoto’s hat-trick against Bologna will live long in the memory.
• Juventus have won only one of their past six European home games – a 1-0 win over Maccabi Haifa in the Champions’ League.
• Surprisingly, Fulham have only failed to score once – in Perm when we were hanging on for dear life – in their 13 European away trips since making their continental debut in 2002.
• Hodgson has an impressive record against Zacheroni, winning three games and drawing another other, whilst he was at Inter. The only defeat came when Zaccheroni’s thumped Udinese 4-1.
• Zaccheroni hasn’t beaten an English side in five attempts. He has managed three draws but his last experience was humiliating. Arsenal, inspired by Thierry Henry, won 5-1 at Inter yet to win in five outings against English clubs, with his AC Milan and Inter in 2003.

Excited? I know I am.

Here’s an interesting site.

There is much of interest that is of no real use (our most common home score this season has been 3-0!  Imagine!) but a couple of things really do stand out.

You know how one of the knocks on Roy has been that he doesn’t use his subs enough?  I have never been sure about that.  I can see how the Mourinhos and Capellos of this world can change games with decisive action, but equally, I can see Roy’s perspective:  if this is my best XI at 3pm, so it is at 345pm.

Anyway, if Roy’s lack of action here was holding the club back, you might expect us to not do well when behind in games.   This doesn’t come through at all.  In fact, when Fulham either concede the first goal, or are behind at half-time, the team does better than most at retrieving the situation.

Now, the obvious argument against this is that it’s not coming back that’s the issue, it’s turning draws into wins.   I would dispute that too.   We score more second half goals than most, so surely that suggests some degree of positive action?  It’s probably more that Roy makes a few subtle tweaks to the way the team is playing, rather than sending on three centre-forwards (I exaggerate for effect).

The other good thing is when we get ahead:  you can basically lock the game up.  Only once have we scored first and lost, or lead at half-time and lost.  I am assuming that both of those were the unfortunate Chelsea game.

So, in conclusion, we do well when we’re behind, and we’re very good when ahead.  Not bad.   The only knock might be that we haven’t ‘got ahead’ enough, but you can’t have everything.

Not long until tomorrow… Juventus, eh?  I may even get myself one of those two-team scarfs.

(Woops – Timmy has something very similar up over his place!  No plagiarism intended, let’s call it ‘great minds think alike’, eh?)

Fulham’s U18s went out of the FA Youth Cup after being beaten by Aston Villa on penalties at the end of an enthralling contest on a chilly night at Craven Cottage.

The defeat will have been a horrible way for Gary Brazil’s side to end their finest run in the competition, especially as progress to a semi-final against Newcastle was within their grasp as the game entered the final minute of extra time. Fulham, leading 2-1 with time ticking down thanks to a pair of outstanding finishes from the impressive Italian youth international Marcello Trotta, were less than a minute away from taking a sizeable scalp when some nervous defending allowed Devine to fire Villa into a penalty shoot-out from close range.

You felt that might prove to be a difficult pyschological barrier to overcome and so it proved. In a horribly compelling penalty shoot-out, Fulham managed to convert just one of their four penalties and despite one great save from the excellent Marcus Betinelli were left agonisingly short of a place in the last four.

Villa went through, and considering their recent pedigree in youth football, that’s not a huge surprise. But Fulham gave them a real run for their money. Some tentative early exchanges saw both sides struggle to get a grip on proceedings, with Fulham’s first chance coming courtesy of a flowing move down the right. Christian Marquez-Sanchez, the eye-catching Spaniard we’ve mentioned before, and Keanu Marsh-Brown (who I’ve already raved about) linked nicely down that flank and the former Arsenal man burst into the box having exchanged passes with Richard Peniket only to be denied by a brilliant block from Calum Barratt. From the ensuing corner, Cheick Toure headed over the bar from six yards out.

Villa looked lively in spells with their tall and intelligent centre forward Kofi Poyser looking a real menace. They were restricted largely to long range shots which Betinelli handled well, although Poyser did very well to nod dangerously towards the Fulham goal from 15 yards. The home side continued to threaten, with Barratt having to sprint out to the edge of his area to thwart a Trotta burst.

Inevitably, the Italian was at the heart of Fulham’s opener which also owed much to a mazy dribble from Marsh-Brown. The chance appeared to have gone when Ellis Deeney got a foot to thwart Trotta’s forward momentum, but the striker had the presence of mind to readjust to the position of the loose ball and beat Barratt with a fine finish from the right side of the box.

The visitors immediately played with more purpose in the second period. Richard Blythe tested Betinelli’s reactions with a header and then the young goalkeeper did brilliantly to prevent Poysner from levelling mattters with an instinctive block. Having seemed to have recovered their composure, it was disappointing to see Fulham concede a rather sloppy goal.

Reece Jones laboured on the ball down on the left touchline and was robbed by the hard-working Ryan Simmonds. The Villa captain’s run and low cross left Poyser with the simplest of tasks to touch in the equaliser from close range. Villa then began to pass the ball with real confidence, although chances came for both sides  in a gripping last quarter of an hour. A lovely turn saw the former Manchester City man fashion a chance for himself almost of nothing but Barrett did well to save. A superb sliding challenge from Daniel Devine denied Peniket a run on goal, but Pierre was similarly well positioned to block Arseinho Halfhuid’s late header.

Extra time was engrossing even if the supporters congregated in the Johnny Haynes Stand were now starting to feel the cold. Halfhuid outfoxed Toure just with a clever bit of footwork and drew a terrific save from Betinelli, whilst Sam Williams timed his intervention perfectly to prevent Trotta from reaching an inviting through ball from substitute Kerim Frei. Trotta did score again shortly afterwards and this strike was even better than the one that had given Fulham their first lead, as he lashed home off his left foot with real power from an almost implausible angle.

Trotta had the chance to seal it with four minutes to play bursting onto a fine through ball from Paudie Quinn but he was denied by a brilliant reflex save from Barett. That miss was to prove costly, although it seems harsh to blame Trotta on a night when he looked outstanding and especially as the referee appeared to miss a clear foul on Peniket before awarding a free kick to Villa. Tempers flared and Fulham never really regained their composure. Barrett launched it hopefully forward, Poyser climbed and there was Devine to prompt the penalty heartache.

Fulham’s penalties were nervous and there was no repeat of the heroics that took them past Bolton in the last round. Substitute Josh Pritchard and Peniket saw their efforts saved and Marsh-Brown sent his into the Putney End handing the momentum back to Villa after Betinelli had briefly revived interest in the shoot-out with a fine save from Carruthers. The shoot-out defeat was a horrible way to end a terrific run and Brazil’s boys can be proud of their energy and endeavour.

FULHAM (4-4-2): Bettinelli; Marquez-Sanchez (Frei 63), Kamau, Pierre,  Touré; Marsh-Brown, Harris, Jones (Quinn 80), Smith (Pritchard 99); Trotta, Peniket. Subs (not used): Fry, Maloney.

BOOKED: Harris, Pritchard.

GOALS: Trotta (39, 115).

ASTON VILLA (4-4-2): Barrett; Grocott, Deeney, Williams, Blythe (Nelson-Addy 80); Devine, Lampkin, Carruthers, Roberts (Arsenio 75); Poyser, Simmonds. Subs (not used): Johnstone, Berry, Taylor.

GOALS: Poyser (55), Devine (120).

Nice little piece over at Nike Soccer on Boca.  (picture lifted from there).

In many ways Bocanegra is our “one that got away”.  Sure, he had limitations, but you have to think he’d have been coachable.    Still in the goals though.   Good man.

And here’s a nice piece by Grant Wahl on Landon Donovan’s time at Everton.     “Redemptive” is the word, perhaps.

I’ll write something about Erik Nevland at some point, but have no time whatsoever at present.   Bear with me (one of my favourite phrases – every time someone says that to me I want us both to act like a bear for a while.  It will never happen though).

Rach encapsulates the modern football experience for me as she offers her take on last week’s FSF event. Well worth a look if you’ve ever been bothered by an over-zealous steward or even if you’ve not.

Henry Porter’s piece prompted by the same meeting is a must read too.

Stuck for something to do with your Tuesday evening? Get down to the Cottage and get behind Fulham’s youngsters as they do battle with Aston Villa in the FA Youth Cup quarter final. Tickets are only £4 and kick off’s at 7pm.

Sad news from Lewes, where Danny Cullip has had to call it quits after failing to recover from a serious hamstring injury.

I have had to retire through injury. I can’t play to any standard. The hamstring is detached and won’t reattach itself. There is no surgery to sort it.

I have seen a specialist in London and exhausted every avenue possible. They have all come to the same conclusion.

Cullip was a shrewd Micky Adams signing in the summer of 1996. Picked up from Oxford for nothing, he was a promising young centre back, who slotted almost straight into the side. His first season at the Cottage was a golden one – the year Adams steered Fulham out of the Football League basement on no budget all at all. He scored his first goal in senior football in the 6-0 thumping of Darlington in January and quickly became a firm favourite with the Fulham fans.

It was something of a surprise when Ray Wilkins allowed Cullip to team up with Adams again at Brentford just six months after Mohamed Al Fayed’s millions had arrived in SW6. He’d featured in fits and starts under the new management and memorably popped up to head a last-minute winner against Burnley having replaced Paul Bracewell only ten minutes earlier.

Fulham received £75,000 – a pitiful return when you consider what Cullip went on to achieve, albeit largely in lower-league football. He became a legend at Brighton, where he was again managed by Adams, who picked up for £50,000 from his former side, making 237 appearances for the Seagulls in five years on the south coast and twice named as player of the year as he helped Albion win two promotions.

His commanding performances at the centre of defence earned Cullip a big money move to Sheffield United, where he announced his arrival with a goal in the Blades’ 3-1 humbling of Aston Villa. Things didn’t really work out for Danny at Bramall Lane and he had spells at Watford (on loan), Nottingham Forest, QPR and Gillingham before dropping into non-league football with Lewes.

Cullip will remain involved in the game. He’s currently doing his coaching badges alongside another member of Fulham’s promotion-winning side, Richard Carpenter.

Important (but doomed, presumably) think tank paper out on the benefits of a 21 hour working week.

Bertrand Russell got there first (1932!), but the idea works, dammit!

All of which reminds me of something Gabriele Marcotti wrote last week:

My understanding is that much of the whingeing comes from the same two guys. But I had to smile when I heard that one of the complaints was that he had moved the times of the training session from 11 am, thereby inconveniencing players who did not want to deal with rush hour around Manchester.

A few years ago I remember a manager suggesting that training sessions should simulate matchdays and, therefore, they should train at 3pm. There was an insurrection because it meant dealing with rush hour. I know it’s an obvious thing to say, but when you’re making millions of pounds a year and get two months off every summer, is it really such a burden to deal with the things mere mortals must deal with, like traffic?

Anyway.

It doesn’t seem as though Simon Davies, who has come in for some unfair slating on the messageboards today, is particularly worried by the Ides of March.

Instead Fulham’s returning midfielder is excited by the prospect of playing Juventus (twice), Manchester United and Manchester City in quick succession both our sixth fixture in 15 days – the FA Cup replay at White Hart Lane.

If someone had offered us that run two years ago, we’d have been jumping at it. Juventus, Manchester United, Manchester City and a place in the FA Cup quarter-finals – it’s great times and it’s going to be a time when I’m sure there won’t be too much training done.

It will just be game after game and, hopefully, we can keep our run going. We had a great run in February even though it was a tough month – and it will be another tough month in March.

But there’s a lot of experience in the squad and the manager has a lot of experience, so I’m sure he will negotiate the month wisely. Not too many of us have been this far in the Cup or Europe so it’s learning to deal with the big occasion and trying to make the most of it.

Viking Stavanger have confirmed that Erik Nevland will join them from Fulham on a free transfer this summer.

The veteran forward is a legend at his hometown club and has signed a two-year deal with Viking.

According to Eirik in the comments, Viking were hopeful of swooping for Fredrik Stoor as well but Roy Hodgson turned down their offer.

UPDATE: Aftenbladet says it was actually Stoor who snubbed the chance to move to Viking. Thanks to Eirik once again.

The Norwegian press seem to be pretty confident that Erik Nevland will be leaving Fulham in the summer.

Nevland has agreed to return to his former club Viking Stavanger in Norway with his contract up at Fulham at the end of the 2009/2010 campaign.

The 32-year-old striker made his professional breakthrough with Viking in 1995 and also returned there following his time at Manchester United.

It makes sense. Nevland, though carrying a painful toe injury, has slipped behind David Elm in the pecking order and this would suggest that the Swede has done enough to convince Hodgson that he’s worth a long-term deal.

I can’t quite list all the reasons why I love Erik but, in no particular order, there’s:

• Just the fact he can change a game from the pitch
• His endeavour typifies Hodgson’s ideals and Erik’s enjoyed a bit of an Indian summer at the Cottage.
• Ice-cool finishes as we came haring down the home straight in the Great Escape: Reading and Birmingham spring to mind.
• He seems like a really level-headed, likeable guy too. He even asked a friend of mine whether she was sure she wanted his autograph after that horrid miss against Hull.

The irreplaceable Spike Milligan nominates Portsmouth to go into Room 101.

Of course, we must beat Spurs first.

It’s Portsmouth at Wembley in the semi-finals should Fulham manage to win their replay against Tottenham at White Hart Lane.

FA CUP SEMI-FINAL DRAW

Aston Villa v Chelsea
Tottenham Hotspur or Fulham v Portsmouth

Semi-finals to be played on 10 & 11 April at Wembley Stadium