Congratulations to Fulham F.C

May I congratulate Fulham Football Club on their success in the UEFA Europa Cup tonight.

Their achievement in reaching a first European Final in their 131 year history is without doubt a 'fairytale' that has come to fruition.
Fulham are a traditional family club, built on good old fashioned principles including a strong work ethic, and the ability to operate financially within their means.

The masterstroke was the appointment of Roy Hodgson (below left) as manager in December 2007.

By employing such an experienced and astute manager in Hodgson they have allowed him to assemble and mould together a group of players (with no superstars), and install into them genuine self-belief and a magnificent team spirit, combined with a never say die attitude on the field.

Despite often being overshadowed by their affluent West London rivals Chelsea, they have achieved a milestone tonight I suspect even their own fans could only ever have dreamed of - a European Cup Final !

After an epic campaign, which began way back on the 30th July last year with a third-qualifying round tie against FK Vetra of Lithuania, The Cottagers' run has spanned a total of 18 European ties, in which they have overcome the likes of Italian giants Juventus, German Champions Wolfsburg, current Europa Cup holders Shakhtar Donetsk and last night Hamburg.

Their success has been the only shining light on what one can only describe as a poor season for our domestic clubs in Europe, with the 'Big Guns' failing to get beyond the semi-finals of either European competition this season.

The UEFA Europa Final will be staged in Hamburg at the HSH Nordbank Arena on the 12th May 2010, where Fulham will play Atletico Madrid for the trophy.

I am sure every football fan up and down the country wish Fulham the best of luck in Germany next month.

May I say your Club is a credit to the English game.

Latest Serie A News - Pato offers support to Huntelaar

It is certainly not new news when I tell you that Klass-Jan Huntelaar hasn't really had the impact at AC Milan that many had hoped he would. In fact he has already been linked with a move away from the club as early as January, but team mate Alexandre Pato has come out in support of the under fire striker, as have coach Leonardo and fellow Dutch team-mate Clarence Seedorf.

Pato, the Brazilian striker said of Huntelaar:

"I’m sure he will give much to Milan."

"I had a hard time too, when I just arrived here,”

"I found it difficult to speak Italian and off the field I could not communicate with others, I was afraid to make mistakes."

"Everyone saw that he was the best player in Holland and scored plenty of goals when he played for Ajax, has done well at Real Madrid and I am sure that even here he manages to make his contribution to Milan."

Huntelaar currently sits as fourth choice striker for Milan at the moment with Pato, Ronaldinho and Filippo Inzaghi all ahead of him. there is no doubt the Dutch international knows how to find

He has failed to hit the ground running at Milan since his arrival in August 2009, and has not scored in any of his eleven appearances for the club, and with three strikers in front of him his opportunities are looking somewhat limited.

There is no doubt the Dutch international knows how to find the back of the net.
At Ajax he scored 76 goals in just 92 appearances, prompting Real Madrid to get out the cheque book in January 2009, and pay £17m to secure his services.
He scored eight times for the 'Galaticos' in twenty appearances, before he joined Italian giants AC Milan for a fee in the region of £12m, just seven months later.
Huntelaar has also scored 14 times in 25 appearances for the Dutch national side (below).

Not helping matters are the rumours that Milan are continually being linked with a move for Wolfsburg striker Edin Dzeko, who if signed from the Bundesliga club would push the Dutch striker further down the pecking order.

However reports coming out of Italy say rivals Juventus are trying to hijack the deal and bring the Bosnian hitman to Turin in January. Huntelaar's fate with Milan is not yet sealed, even though most of the Italian press have already written off the striker.

However things will have to start to change quickly on the pitch for the Dutchman, or Huntelaar may soon find himself back on the transfer list, and looking for his third club in a year.

In October, Huntelaar was linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur and a possible swap deal with Roman Pavlyuchenko during the January transfer window.
The North London side were again reportedly linked with the Dutchman earlier this month, although German side Hamburg are also now thought to be in the race to sign him.

Roll on this weekend where in Serie A, AC Milan and Hunlelaar entertain Cagliari in a league fixture at the San Siro Stadium.


Written by:

Mark Ferguson, a sports editor who blogs about where to purchase inexpensive quality football shirts.

(Today he is guest writing on behalf of Beer Footy and Birds!)