Kagisho Dikgacoi on life in England.

Life's all about opportunities isn't it?  Sometimes you get them, sometimes you don't.  Kagisho had a debut at a time when the team's usual defensive midfielder, Dickson Etuhu, was out injured.  The Scott Parker incident meant Chris Baird has been given the nod, and hardly put a foot wrong.

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They may have fallen to Arsenal in the League Cup on Wednesday, but Liverpool will nonetheless be in determined mood as they return to the capital this weekend to take on Fulham.
Last Sunday's 2-0 victory over Manchester United ended a four-game losing streak, bringing a wave of relief over the red half of Merseyside and boosting the Anfield giants to within six points of leaders Chelsea. Click to continue reading...

You can watch Manchester City v Fulham Live online here.

Manchester City v Fulham
English Premier League
Sunday 25 October 2009
Kickoff: 15:00 BST

For all their attacking talents, City have actually scored fewer goals (16) in their first eight games than at this stage of last season (20).

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Moyes & NevilleÂ

After yet another under acceptable performance from an Everton team devoid of genuine guile the news from the physio was worse than hoped but exactly as expected. The writhing on the floor of Phil Neville following a brutal scything from Dickson Etuhu suggested a debilitating ailment against the current climate of forgeries and feigners.

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In order:

were we playing 4-2-4?

Dickson Etuhu: doesn't just pass to Danny Murphy

Danny Murphy:Â does pass to Dickson Etuhu

Conclusion: it's their job to pass to each other.

Match stats: at last we get some shots on target!  About time.  A coincidence that this happens with our full-backs really attacking Everton?

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Phew, wow, hurray! A reminder that Roy knows what he's doing and that last season's magic didn't get lost over the summer. Today was classic Hodgson-era Fulham, solid, strong, hard-working and occasionally flat out excellent. A win to put smiles on faces.

The game started slowly, with some wonderful centre-back/centre-forward duels but few chances.

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It looks like a few teams in the Premier League could suffer a fair bit when the African Cup of Nations 2010 kicks off on Sunday, January 10th 2010. The competition, which always coughs up some great entertainment, will see approximately 27 Premier League players set off for Angola.
Which clubs are going to suffer? Click to continue reading...

While waiting for the game to start I was having a nose around the Observer's Review section, and more specifically around an interview with art collector Charles Saatchi. He was asked about (artist) Mark Rothko and the nature of infinity, and replied as follows:

"My understanding of infinity goes something like this: every 100 years a sparrow flies to the top of a large mountain, and cleans its beak by scraping it on the highest rock.

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A frustrating afternoon spent chasing shadows.  Chelsea controlled the game from start to finish, and Fulham really didn't threaten Petr Cech's goal.

Part of this was because of the injury to Andy Johnson on Thursday. His absence was felt all over the pitch: we missed his sharp running, constant harrying and intelligent runs.

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It's a lovely morning here in South London, a fine day for the serious business ahead.

Fulham are without Johnson (A), but also perhaps Dickson Etuhu, whose groin may have been behind his early withdrawal on Thursday.   This could see all kinds of things happen: Chris Baird, Jonathan Greening, or something else.

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Here's where Fulham players were selected in the Paintsil League at The Times:

ROUND Â Â Â Â PICK Â Â Â Â PLAYER Â Â Â Â POS Â Â Â Â TEAM
1    9    Dickson Etuhu    CM    Flatter to Decieve FC
1    10    Mark Schwarzer    GK    Ball Blacks
1    13    Clint Dempsey    LM    New York Whites
2    27    Brede Paulsen Hangeland    CB    Ball Blacks
2    28    John Paintsil    RB    Flatter to Decieve FC
3    43    Danny Murphy    CM    Lamb Chops
4    71    Aaron Hughes    CB    Jimmy Hill Is The Messiah
5    76    Andrew Johnson    FOR    HammyEnd.

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Fulham advanced in the Europa League with a 6-0 aggregate win over Vectra, 3-0 on the night. Dickson Etuhu opened the scoring in the 57th and Andrew Johnson added two goals in the 80th and 84th minutes. Clint Dempsey started and went the full 90 for Fulham. Eddie Johnson was an 82nd minute substitute for Bobby Zamora. Click to continue reading...

The rain poured down and Roy Hodgson's black and white army marched on deeper into Europe.   Goals from the impressive Dickson Etuhu and two from Andrew Johnson saw Fulham home, 3-0, 6-0 on aggregate. How good does that sound?

The first ten minutes was a crowded affair with little control and several tempers lost.

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If we could trust a word Harry Redknapp says, Peter Crouch is all but ours.  Here:

"Portsmouth are trying to sell Crouchie," said Redknapp. "I like Crouchie but at the moment we have got four good strikers so it's not a priority. We are not desperate at the moment for strikers.

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OTP offers up some football curses that even your granny can say under her breath! 1. Zoran Tošić Example: You're the biggest Tošić I've ever met. 2. John Utaka Example: Shove that up Utaka. 3. Chris Gunter Example: You are such a Gunter. 4. Maynor Figueroa Example: I don't give a Figueroa... 5. Click to continue reading...

When I saw Newcastle United's lineup today before their 3-0 loss to Liverpool, I said aloud: Joey Barton's going to get a red card. I only meant it to elicit a laugh from friends, but with Newcastle's fate in the balance and Barton's famous temper in mind, I had a vision of Barton heading for the showers a bit earlier than his co-workers.

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It's about time we had some more Chalkboarding fun.

The evolution of Dickson Etuhu has been a triumph for those "wait and see" advocates amongst us. I was impressed when he took care of the ball before without trying anything too risky, but he's clearly grown in confidence and is developing into a good player.

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One of many reasons why the New Yorker is essential reading, even in London.

But from the perspective of one fan in the press box, where the seats are free, the new Stadium experience did offer some unexpected pleasures, such as the running transcript, on a couple of the outfield scoreboards, of the new P.

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Clint Dempsey's second full season in the English Premier League keeps getting better and better. After watching his team fall behind on the road, the U.S. international stepped up and fired home two second-half goals to help Fulham to a 3-1 win at Manchester City on Sunday afternoon. The victory moved The Cottagers up to eighth in the table, within striking distance of a spot in next year's UEFA Europa League, a surprising turnaround for a team that was in real danger of being relegated just one season ago. Click to continue reading...

After seeing his side lose for the fifth time in six games, Manchester City manager was left in no doubt about the frustration among the club's followers after his decision to leave Robinho out of the side for the first time backfired in dramatic circumstances.

>>guardian. Click to continue reading...

Clint Dempsey scored twice in the second half of Fulham's 3-1 victory over Manchester City on Sunday. After going behind before the break, the Cottagers fought back with Dempsey leveling the score on 50 minutes. Dickson Etuhu's well taken strike gave Fulham the lead before Dempsey capped the scoring with a late insurance goal in the 83rd minute. Click to continue reading...

American Clint Dempsey gave Fulham fans a nice Easter gift by helping his team to a 3-1 road win at Manchester City.
City took a 1-0 lead on a gorgeous shot from distance by Stephen Ireland in the 27th minute. Fulham looked to be on the ropes for the next 22 minutes before
Dempsey levelled to game at 1-1 by picking up a loose ball from Zamora in the 49th minute which the Texan easily stroked into the goal with his right foot. Click to continue reading...

Why doesn't Roy Hodgson get the credit he deserves in the United Kingdom? As I've mentioned before, In Scandinavia and Italy, he's held in high regard, in  Britain people point to his sacking at Blackburn Rovers back in1997. With 33 points gained so far this season, Fulham are one win away from emulating their points [. Click to continue reading...

As we arrive at the quarter mark for the current Premier League season the standings are starting to take shape, although who would have ever thought we would see Tottenham rock bottom or Hull City in the Champions League places. As such it is another big weekend of fixtures coming up and about [. Click to continue reading...