England deliver the win with style

England brought Croatia’s fine home record to an end last night as they defeated the home side 4-1 at the Maksimir Stadium in impressive fashion.

England, who thoroughly deserved the win, played the attractive football that we have known they are capable of, but haven’t shown in recent displays. Theo Walcott was the star in front of goal as he grabbed himself a hat-trick and his provider, Wayne Rooney, also got on the scoresheet.

Rooney, who played just behind Emile Heskey upfront, was in my opinion man of the match as he created two great opportunities for Walcott who duly delivered the finish. Steven Gerrard’s absence was unnoticeable as Rooney picked out some nice passes and worked tirelessly when Croatia were in possession. Frank Lampard gave as good of a performance for his country as I have seen in a long time – his retention of the ball took the pressure off the England Midfield and his quality goal was unlucky to be ruled out.

Gareth Barry’s influence can not be underestimated as he was the gave balance to the midfield and was the foil for a solid looking England defence. The Croatians created very little and their goal should have been ruled out for a high boot on John Terry. Srna put his boot in the defender’s face as he went for a header and the Shakhtar Donetsk midfielder kept his composure as he squared the ball to Mario Mandzukic who tucked the ball benieth James.

The match was marred by what at first seemed a very bad injury to Joe Cole as Robert Kovac caught him with an elbow which earned the midfielder a straight-red card. Cole, who went in for a header on the half-way line, rose to his feet after the challenge but collapsed after realising there was blood pouring from a large gash on his head. However, it appears that Cole made a quick recovery as he was seen back in the dugout towards the end of the game.

The win for England comes after the Croatian national manger, Slaven Bilic, claimed England do not match their off-field talk with their performances on the pitch. Ironically I think what he said can be very true, but on this occasion England took apart his well drilled side who he has taken to fifth place in the FIFA rankings.

A great performance from England will leave the fans expecting more great things, but it does appear Cappello has started to instill some belief in his players who underperformed under the leadership of Steve McClaren.

My final words have to go to Theo Walcott. Eriksson was criticised for taking Walcott to the World Cup finals in 2006, but it appears the former England boss could well have had ideas that Walcott could be such a great threat on the World stage. His selection for that squad may have been premature, but if he continues to give the assured performances of last night’s game we could see him star in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

Healy leaves Fulham to join Sunderland

David Healy has signed a three-year deal at Sunderland after realising his chances of regular first-team football at Fulham this season would be limited.

Fulham have signed Andy Johnson and Bobby Zamora this summer and with Erik Nevland and Seol also ahead of him in the pecking order it appears Healy has opted to seek a more regular place in the starting line-up at Sunderland. He has moved for an undisclosed fee.

Healy scored just 4 goals in 30 appearances for the Whites last season, although in many of those games he came on from the bench. His goalscoring record at international level is much more impressive. With 34 goals in 65 games, on paper he looks like a world class striker, but his record at Fulham leaves you wondering how he is so prolific on the world stage. He has great ability to finish when in position, but his pace and strength let him down in the much higher paced Premier League.

However, If he gets off to a good start I can see him doing well, he seems to me like a confidence player. He now has a fresh start and I wish him all the best – he acted like a true professional last season for the club.

I just hope he doesn’t replicate his international form this season, because he could be one Fulham let slip away too easily.

Davis signs for Rangers, more to leave?

Steven Davis’ transfer saga is finally over as he penned a 4 year deal at Rangers this afternoon. Davis, who was at the Glasgow club for the second half of last season, has finalised his dream move after a disappointing spell at Fulham. It is thought the fee is in the region of £3million, substantially less than Fulham paid for the Northern Ireland international last summer.

Davis in my opinion is a tidy and technically gifted player, but his lack of physical presence gave him many problems playing for Fulham in the first part of last season. Martin O’Neill, his former boss at Aston Villa, said after selling him to Fulham that Davis struggles in a four man midfield for this reason as he needs more protection. Sanchez’s use of the midfielder didn’t give him a chance to get the ball down and play the passing football he is capable of and that’s where Sanchez went so wrong by playing his long ball game – but that’s a different matter altogether.

However, Davis shone on loan last season and will be a star performer in the Scottish league no doubt. I wish him well and will always feel he didn’t deserve the abuse he got after some poor performances for the Whites – after being made the scapegoat he never really had a chance.

In other news it appears David Healy’s move to Sunderland is imminent and it is also understood Eddie Johnson could well be on his way to Cardiff on loan.

Healy has produced wonders at international level and Johnson has scored lots of goals in the MLS, but both lacked the goal scoring touch we so desperately needed last season.

Collins John is the interest of Crystal Palace boss Neil Warnock, however it appears Volz’s move to Ipswich has hit a stumbling block as the right-back would rather stay in the top flight.

Preview: Hull vs Fulham

This is the most excited I have been about the start of a Premiership season in a long time, maybe since our first in 2001. I genuinely believe Fulham boss Roy Hodgson has built a squad capable of progressing much further this season, but they will face a difficult test at newly promoted Hull – who will no doubt be up for it.

Roy Hodgson has done a great job this summer at Fulham, bringing in players with Premiership quality and experience. Zoltan Gera and Mark Schwarzer were brought in on free transfers and they are likely to make league debuts for the club. Bobby Zamora, the side’s new number 9, and John Pantsil, brought in from West Ham are also likely to start, meaning four new faces will be on show from the kick off at the KC Stadium for Fulham.

The defence was a problem last season for Fulham, and it appears Hodgson has tried to remedy some of the issues, although I do still feel that we are lacking in the centre of defence. John Pantsil, the Ghanaian international is likely to be given a start at right-back ahead of Fredrik Stoor, another new recruit from Rosenborg. Hangeland and Hughes formed a decent understanding at the end of last season - however I feel both are still prone to errors. Hopefully if Steven Davis is sold to Rangers, the cash will go towards a quality partner for Hangeland.  

The new Club Captain, Danny Murphy, has said it is an ‘honour’ to be handed the role and he will no doubt to be keen to pick up from where he left off last season with the crucial winner at Fratton Park. He will be almost certainly partnered in the centre midfield by Jimmy Bullard, who he formed a strong partnership with at the back end of last season. Bullard has vowed to concentrate hard on playing for Fulham, but a new contract will not be offered to him this summer - maybe this will give him some motivation to play well and earn a new deal. Zoltan Gera and Simon Davies will complete the midfield lineup, with Davies likely to play on the right and Gera on the left. Gera has been in great form pre-season with two goals and several assists, lets hope his good start continues.

New boy Andy Johnson is not fit for the clash, so Bobby Zamora is likely to be partnered up front by either Erik Nevland or more surprisingly Seol, who impressed when started upfront against Torino last weekend. Seol who was brought in last summer from Reading failed to impress on the wing last season, but maybe Hodgson has seen something in the Korean International that makes him believe he has a future at the club. Seol was used mainly as a striker for Reading and maybe he can make a bigger impact this season. 

Our opposition, Hull City, are widely tipped to be relegated this season, but it is the first game in their history in the top tier of English football and they will definitely want to mark the occasion with a win.

Tigers Boss, Phil Brown, has worked hard to bring in a new look squad for the new campaign. George Boateng and Geovanni, who grabbed the winner in the Manchester Derby last season, will create a strong central midfield partnership. Marlon King, the striker who failed a medical at Craven Cottage last January, will look to make an immediate impact at his new club after signing on loan from Wigan. Other new faces include Anthony Gardener and Bernard Mendy.

Hull could start veteran striker Dean Windass, who scored a great winning goal in the playoff final to secure the club’s promotion. However, Caleb Folan is more likely to partner King after a quick recovery from a muscle strain.

My prediction: Fulham should be the better of the sides, but Hull will buzzing for their first ever Premiership fixture. It’s a tough one to call, but I’m going for a narrow Fulham win. Even though Hull have strengthened their squad, I don’t believe their weak defence will be able to cope with our attacking players, who have impressed in pre-season. 2-1 to the Whites.

Does David Healy have a future at Fulham?

From an outsider looking in, I can’t say that I see David Healy being one of Fulham’s two first choice strikers in the new Premier League season. Andy Johnson – who is not to dissimilar to Healy in terms of style – signed for the club last week is virtually guaranteed a starting berth. Then, if I was to put any of my football betting money on it, I would say that he will be partnered by either Bobby Zamora or Diomansy Kamara.

So where does Healy fit into proceedings? Well, he is being backed by Nigel Worthington to make an impact in the Premier League. The Northern Ireland boss believes that patience could be the key to Healy’s season and that it is important he takes his chance by performing when called upon. Worthington seems to recognise that the striker is going to be someway down the pecking order at Craven Cottage this season.

To be honest, I’m not sure why Worthington is so concerned about Healy’s club career. I say this because no matter which club he is playing for, no matter whether he is in form, Healy always delivers on the international stage. He has a remarkable record of 34 goals in 64 appearances for Northern Ireland and is their highest goalscorer of all time. If I was Nigel Worthington, I would just be happy that Healy is fit, regardless of whether he is playing for Fulham!

Of course, Healy’s problem throughout his career has been failing to perform as consistently at club level. He has had decent spells for Preston and Leeds United, but is yet to prove his worth at Premier League level. For Fulham last season he managed four goals in the league. A goal tally that was matched by the amount he scored for Northern Ireland during the European Championships qualification process.

One thing that seems certain is that David Healy is going to have to fight very hard for a first team place – certainly at the start of the season. It sounds obvious but echoing Nigel Worthington’s views, he must take his chance when it comes around. Zamora or Johnson could pick up an injury, presenting Healy with a chance to prove his worth to Roy Hodgson. In actual fact, Healy is one of the few players that could use his international performances to try and impress his club manager – it’s usually the other way round!

I think I am right in saying that David Healy is an ambitious footballer. I’m not sure he is going to be happy warming the bench all season. Therefore, if when January comes around he is doing just that, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was move on to either a rival Premier League club or a top-six Championship club. In fact, I’d like to see the football odds on Healy starting the new year away from Craven Cottage.

This could all change should he make an impact against Hull, Arsenal or Bolton in the opening few games of the season. For now though, I think Healy is going to have to bide his time and wait for his Premier League fortunes to improve or for a transfer that could give him a fresh start at a new club.

Thomas Rooney - Freelance Sports Journalist

Fulham: Bullard is staying but no contract talks this summer

Speaking at a press conference on Sky Sports News, Fulham boss Roy Hodgson was quick to rule out the sale of influential midfielder Jimmy Bullard, but also stated that the midfielder will not begin new contract talks until next summer.

Hodgson explained that Fulham chairman Mohamed Al-Fayed is willing to spend big on players, but is not willing to extend players contacts if they still have two years to run as Bullard’s has. However, Hodgson is keen to keep hold of Bullard and remained adamant that Bullard was in the clubs plans after rumours have linked the player away from Fulham this summer.

Contract extension talks are likely to be held next summer, when Bullard enters the final year of his current deal.

Fulham sign Johnson

Fulham have today announced the signing of Everton striker Andy Johnson on a 4 year deal. The fee is thought to be in the region of £10.5million, but could eventually rise to £13million depending on appearances.

Johnson, 27, has returned to London after leaving Crystal Palace for Everton in 2006 and is delighted to have joined the Whites saying:

“I am glad that the agreement is now finalised and that I can concentrate on playing football for Fulham. Roy has been great over the last week or so of on-going discussions and his support in getting me here has only strengthened my ambition to give 100% for him and the team every game.

Fulham is a Club with a lot of history and ambition and I’m pleased that I can be part of that. I’m now just looking forward to getting into the dressing room with the lads and to start training with them as soon as possible”

His new boss Roy Hodgson added:

“I have made no secret of my wish to add Andy Johnson to my squad at Fulham. I believe that he has all the qualities needed to assist us in next season’s campaign and I am more than delighted that we have secured his services for the long term.”

Hodgson also moved to say that the rumours of Johnson failing a medical has ‘little foundation’.

Johnson hasn’t trained for a few weeks whilst the transfer was being negotiated, so Fulham fans may have to be patient before they see the best of the clubs new striker. Hopefully when he’s up to speed he’ll be the man to get the goals to help Fulham push on from last season.

Fulham to renegotiate Johnson fee

The guardian.co.uk is reporting that Fulham have once again found a striker to have a medical problem. This time Fulham’s doctors have discovered that Andy Johnson has an old knee injury and it appears the club wish to restructure the payments according to how many games Johnson plays.

The infamous Fulham medical has forced the club to pull out of deals for John Carew and Marlon King in recent years and it appears the rigorous tests have shown up a problem once again.

Johnson who could become Fulham’s record signing, is awaiting further medical test results before knowing if he will complete his favoured move back to London.

I hope this one goes through. If Everton believe there is no problem with Johnson’s fitness there is no reason that they shouldn’t take an initial fee and the rest over the course of the season. He wants to join the club and we want him – the sticking point might be that Everton need the money upfront to pursue their own transfer targets.