Sunday 10 January 2010

Fulham lead chase for Moses


Palace are, and have been for a while now, resigned to losing Victor Moses this month. and today the News of the World are reporting that he is off to Fulham:

FULHAM have emerged as serious challengers to Manchester City in the chase for teen whizz Victor Moses.

Crystal Palace boss Neil Warnock is resigned to losing striker Moses, 19, during the transfer window.

City want to build for the future but their football administrator Brian Marwood was shocked at the Eagles' £5million price tag.

Palace would go for a staggered payment deal but their need for cash sees chairman Simon Jordan pushing for as much up front as he can force. And Palace now have several other bidders, with Fulham the main rival.

Cottagers strike ace Bobby Zamora could be out until March with a shoulder injury.

And if the right deal for Moses is struck, a move to Craven Cottage may suit all parties not least because the Londoner would not have to move home and would have the chance of regular first-team football.

In some ways, I see this move as being better for both him, and Fulham. At Man City, I just can't see him fitting in somehow. Man City are clearly building for the future, having bought in numerous youngsters, but at 19 Moses isn't the type of player who can be saved for 3-4 years and break into the team when the likes of Joe Hart will be number 1.

As well as this, there is clearly no need for him in Man City's attack at the moment, with the likes of Emmanuel Adebayor, Carlos Tevez, Craig Bellamy, Roque Santa Cruz, Robinho, Martin Petrov, and, when he returns from his loan at Malaga, Felipe Caicedo all ahead of him. And there are bound to be more signings for City in that department. I may be wrong, but he does seem a strange target for City to continue pursuing.

On the other hand, we are told of how Fulham are also interested in signing the young Nigerian, who already has scored 10 times in 57 games, chipping in with 6 assists along the way, and has already made 29 appearances at England youth level, with 11 goals and 5 assists, and suddenly the race for his signature becomes all the more interesting.

Because despite lacking in the money department compared to City, I can see him fitting in perfectly. The injury prone Andy Johnson could easily be replaced by Moses when he is injured, as they play very similarly. And as mentioned in the article above, with Bobby Zamora out injured until March with a shoulder problem, he could strike a partnership with Johnson, and while there is no target man, a simple change in formation could easily accommodate and midfielder just behind the striker, and with both Johnson and Moses playing in the same team, Fulham could be a very strong force.

I may be proved wrong, he may go to Man City and be a huge hit, or he may go to Fulham and be a flop, or fail to perform with Johnson or Zamora, but going to Fulham does seem to make more sense football wise for Moses. It is just a matter of how much money will sway his decision.



Gibbo.

Saturday 9 January 2010

One Jose Fonte, There's Only One Jose Fonte

A song that even the man himself has recognised, updating his facebook status with those lines.

Two and a half years ago, a young, unheard of 24 centre back from Benfica called Jose Fonte arrived at Crystal Palace, to a mixed reception. One portion of the fans didn't like his attitude one bit, after he reportedly said that he could have easily played Champions League football at Benfica, so Palace was a step down, implying that he felt he was better than other Palace defenders. In some respect he was right. The other half of the CPFC faithful felt that the kid had potential and to give it time.
I was lucky enough to meet him, as was Matt Woosnam who also rights a football blog, before an Palace v Everton game, to celebrate the return to Selhurst Park, if for one night only, of Andy Johnson, but that night a virtual Palace ever-present for the next two and a half years made his
first appearance at Selhurst Park, and I was one of many other to get his autograph and wish our newest signing the best of luck.

Following a season of being in and out of the team, when Neil Warnock began his first full season at Palace, he saw potential and activated a clause in the contract saying that if we wanted, we could buy him for £400k. So that is what we did, and neither Palace, nor Fonte for that matter, have ever looked back. He played consistently well, pushing himself into the team and keeping his place, and things just got better.


He made 92 appearances for Palace, and chipped in with 6 goals, the last of those being against Ipswich Town, in what was the last game I saw him don a Palace shirt. He was one of my favourite players, probably in fact my favourite. The phrase "you don't know what you've got until it's gone" is fitting in this instance. I will confess I never saw Fonte as one of our best players, along with the likes of Victor Moses and Julian Speroni. I never felt he was one of my favourite players, like I did with Neil Danns, and again, Julian Speroni. However now he has left, I really feel a huge hole has been made in the CPFC squad. Maybe it is because I see this as the beginning of the end for CPFC as I have known it all my life, since I can only remember in 100% detail seasons since 2002. But I think it is something more than that. Since that first autograph, I collected several more, and Fonte was and still is, one of the keenest people to meet fans I have met, ahead of my favourite of the past Andy Johnson. He was the only player to have a drink with the Holmesdale Fanatics last year, and for that I see him as a great.

He may have only been here 2 and a half years, but Jose Fonte will stay in the hearts of Palace fans forever, and I really would love to see him back at the Palace someday.

Southampton have themselves a bargain, £1.2 million including add-ons I have heard rumoured, and if that is true then they have done very well to get a talented defender who is capable with the ball at his feet as well as in the air for that price.

Thanks for the memories Jose, and good luck at you next club.