Fulham Yourself If You Don't Believe It: Dempsey VI

Clearly enough purple drink to go around.

The guy is their MARQUEE player. Can you honestly tell me that John Arne Riise is going to be the first choice model for them to use to try to sell their new kit? Do the Miami Heat have Mario Chalmers mug trying to sell jersyes or is it LeBron and Wade? Do the Cowboys have Stephen McGee selling jerseys or do they have Tony Romo? I'm not going to get into a marketing debate with you, but you just can't tell me that the absence of Clint in their marketing going forward isn't a small signal of their strategic planning.

Ask Ken Griffey Jr. about not taking good care of a nagging hamstring...

The club was in Crans Montana mainly to do a boat load of mountain biking at high altitude... something guys with hamstring issues have no business taking part in...

As for not featuring prominently on the official website... really only Hangeland (some Riise) has been promo'd in the new kits... (much like Clint and Zamora were last season).... Fulham does not shove its superstars down the throats of its fans like some clubs... they build a team... something Clint fits into very nicely...

Eh, to be fair I think Clint's absence from promotional materials/advertising at the very least suggests a lack of certainty at the club as to whether he will be around this season.

I agree with this. Clint was voted 4th best player in the Prem last season...that's a guy who lead with.....or at least show prominently

I still think he will be gone, but it will be fun to watch him at Fulham if he does stay there. Kerim Frei looked extremely promising last year and I think Ruiz has a lot of talent. They certainly have the squad to do some damage in the league.

Dempsey not in the squad to face MK Dons tonight..... Rodallega is starting...

No Dembele, Hangeland, Hughes, Diarra, Duff, Petric, Ruiz, Riise, Schwarzer... either...

I guess Fulham is preparing to ship them all out...

So what happens in a couple weeks when Dempsey is a Fulham player but hasn't played a single preseason match? Are they just going to sit him?

Considering he has played 63 matches since June of 2011 for Fulham and the US... I really doubt that he is considerably out of shape... match sharpness and hamstring are what worries me...

The do play Charlton on Saturday behind closed doors.. I will raise the red flag if he does not go then...

Does Clint really have to say a transfer is required to obtain CL football? Seriously? I hope you mean "transfer this summer."

I don't disagree that his quoted statement doesn't mean he feels he has to leave Fulham this summer, but I'm sure he's looking/ hoping for a CL move now. Who wouldn't with one year left on his contract, following his best season after several years of consistent improvement?

Not wishing to sound delusional to all the Big Soccer Big 6 snobs but did anyone think Newcastle had a chance at CL football last season? They just missed out and Fulhams squad is every bit as good... There is a reason why they play the games..

So, you're not going to be serious?

No I am completely serious... they play 38 matches each season... Fulham is one of the best 8 teams in the league... those are pretty well agreed upon...

Is it likely that Fulham will finish in the top 4... of course not but there is hope and optimism before every season... did anyone think Fulham was going to be minutes away from going to penalties in a Europa League Final? No, but it happened... This Fulham team may not have the names but they are every bit as good as Liverpool, Everton, Newcastle and maybe even Spurs... Ignore what the media tell you... this is a very very talented team and if they buy a hold up striker... I think they will attain more than 60 pts this season if Dempsey stays.. with luck maybe more..

One preseason game isnt adequate. He needs games ASAP since the season starts in 11 days and he hasn't played in 2 months. If not, I could see him starting the season on the bench and working his way up to full fitness. Maybe he still has the injury Jol was referring to.

Nothing in the post you quoted assumes lack of an extension. The point is, Liverpool (or any other suitor) would be paying a premium price of 10 MM for getting Dempsey right now, when they could spend considerably less to get him (on the same personal terms, presumably) in the winter window or on a free next summer.

Always felt this kool-aide drinking analogy turned internet meme was kind of tacky... considering over 900 people being coaxed into suicide is the root of it.... but I have used it plenty of times before so I guess it is pretty hypocritical of me to even retort that way....

I hate the "meme" meme myself.

I'm just banging on you a bit. Fulham is a nice squad, but they are a couple of injuries away from a relegation fight. Liverpool were as injured as anyone last year, and they finished very similarly. Everton, Tottenham and Newcastle are all better squads.

Haven't quite a few of Jol's last transfers in come on free or loans? (Rolldega, Reither, Riise, Petric, etc). He seems to be adept at finding *some* talent for $0 transfer fees, but hard to imagine they can get into top 5-6 this way. I think they are short a couple strong players- especially in attack. I think they will have to buy these (maybe Likaku on loan to work for one).

My concern is that he is spoiling Al-Fayed getting all these guys on free!

Dembele is a huge key this season. He can look like a Real Madrid player at times, but also very ineffective at other times. He'll need to have the equivelant of a Dempsey-type season in his position for Fulham to seriously challenge for Europe. The entire team need to quit playing like wusses on the road this year as well.

Newcastle are going to be tough again. They spend wisely.

I think Fulham can finish higher than Everton, but Everton have a bit of that Man U thing going on where they seem to play better than the sum of their parts should allow.

I think Jol and Moyes are 2 of the best managers in the Prem, especially for clubs on a budget.

Newcastle is a real 'show me'....for me. They overachieved and it will be interesting to see if they can maintain such lofty form. I say some reversion to mean in order this year.

Eh, Jol spent plenty at Tottenham. Even last season MAF gave him a fair bit of cash to spend (not to mention he inherited a pretty decent squad).

Actually Comolli did most of the dirty work like £17m for Bentley.

A major bombshell on Clint Dempsey and Fulham. It now revealed the Cottagers ordered him to train himself, meaning staying away from the first-team squad.

A shocking excerpt:

"The senior squad has now returned to London and Dempsey will be kept apart from the first teamers in the build-up to the new Premier League season.

Insiders have told Goal.com that Dempsey is not expected to figure in Jol's plans for the curtain-raiser at home to Norwich City on Saturday week, or at any point until the transfer window closes."

How reliable the story from Goal.com is a $64,000 or £64,000 question.

Wow! Dempsey is a prima donna who wants out of Fulham and refused to go to Switzerland and dreams of playing for an elite premiere league team so Jol effectively told him to sit the #%$@ down while they dump him and settle for about 5M for him so they can go with a young team this season.

I never knew any of that stuff about him or Fulham. Thanks Goal.com!!

"Insiders have told Goal.com"