The offal says he is “still registered” with the club. And according to Charlton’s offal:

Although technically recruited on a month’s loan from Fulham, England U19 international Omozusi is out of contract at Craven Cottage.

“The situation is a bit complicated because Fulham still hold his registration, so it’s not a normal loan,” said Phil. “We’ve had to take him on a month contract, but we also have the option to make it permanent in January.”

Yet again, a Fulham beat reporter would be really handy right about now.

Nonetheless Omosuzi started and played 71 minutes in Charlton’s 3-1 loss at Carlisle United on Saturday.

Fredrik Olof Esaias Stoor Siekkinen (that’s his full name!) surprised no one by extending his loan deal at Derby County until December last week. He started and played 90 minutes in the Rams’ 1-0 loss at Ipswich Town on Saturday.

Lastly, Adam Watts started and played 90 minutes in Lincoln City’s 3-1 loss at Morecambe on Saturday.

Hmm. Not a good weekend for the loaners’ clubs.

Fredrik Stoor started and played 61 minutes in Derby County’s 4-2 loss to Queens Park Rangers on Saturday. He was substituted because of a sustained facial injury. Stoor’s loan has expired, but Rams manager Nigel Clough wants to extend the deal.

I can’t comment on the match too much, other than what’s seen in these highlights, but it appeared we were unfortunate to go down thanks to a good strike from Michel Platini (no joke) and sort of lucky to draw even thanks to CSKA’s goalie playing hero and leaving his box.

But the main talking point about the match is the lineup and bench. And looking at it will shed some light on why no substitutes were used, and why EJ, Seol, KG and others did not make the trip.

After the jump, I’ll go into the nuts and bolts of how the roster works.

To save space here, Dan at hammyend.com has the initial international roster. So check that out. The players with an asterisk mean they are on “Player List B”.

What does that mean? Well lets get all technical and consult the Europa League rulebook, found here.

Starting on page 24, Article 18 discusses player eligibility. Examining §18.08 on down, it details the requirements of “Player List A”.

18.08 No club may have more than 25 players on List A during the season. As a minimum, places 18 to 25 on List A (eight places) are reserved exclusively for “locally trained players” and no club may have more than four “association-trained players” listed in places 18 to 25 on List A. List A must specify the eight players who qualify as being “locally trained”, as well as whether they are “club-trained” or “association-trained”. The possible combinations that enable clubs to comply with the List A requirements are set out in Annex VIII.

18.09 A “locally trained player” is either a “club-trained player” or an “association trained
player”.

18.10 A “club-trained player” is a player who, between the age of 15 (or the start of the season during which he turns 15) and 21 (or the end of the season during which he turns 21), and irrespective of his nationality and age, has been registered with his current club for a period, continuous or not, of three entire seasons (i.e. a period starting with the first official match of the relevant national championship and ending with the last official match of that relevant
national championship) or of 36 months.

18.11 An “association-trained player” is a player who, between the age of 15 (or the start of the season during which the player turns 15) and 21 (or the end of the season during which the player turns 21), and irrespective of his nationality and age, has been registered with a club or with other clubs affiliated to the same national association as that of his current club for a period, continuous or not, of three entire seasons or of 36 months.

18.12 If a club has fewer than eight locally trained players in its squad (i.e. in places 18 to 25 on List A), then the maximum number of players on List A is reduced accordingly. Furthermore, if a club lists a player in places 18 to 25 on List A who does not fulfil the conditions set out in this article, that player is not eligible to participate for the club in the UEFA club competition(s) in question and the club is unable to replace him on List A.

I want to point out §18.12, particularly the reduction of List A if it has less than 8 locally trained players. Fulham’s “A List” only has 21 players. Meaning that we only have 4 locally trained players.
So bummer for EJ, who I was hoping would get some time in this competition.

Now onto our “Player List B”, which contains practically our academy and not the likes of Elm, Stoor, Andranik, Kallio and the other fringe players. The criteria is explained by §18.15-.16, and be sure to note the date of birth requirement.

18.15 Each club is entitled to register an unlimited number of players on List B during the season. The list must be submitted by no later than 24.00 CET on the day before the match in question.

18.16 A player may be registered on List B if he is born on or after 1 January 1988 and has been eligible to play for the club concerned for any uninterrupted period of two years since his 15th birthday by the time he is registered with UEFA. Players aged 16 may be registered on List B if they have been registered with the participating club for the previous two years without interruption.

Viola! Anyone over the age of 21 isn’t eligible. Shame.

Lastly, why Pascal Zuberbuhler was able to dress for this match but left off the initial roster is answered in §18.20. Basically he swapped in for Schwarzer, who is still injured.

If a club cannot count on the services of at least two goalkeepers registered on List A because of long-term injury or illness, the club concerned may temporarily replace the goalkeeper concerned and register a new goalkeeper at any time during the season and complete the official registration list A with a goalkeeper fit to be fielded. If the replaced goalkeeper was registered as a locally trained player, the new goalkeeper does not need to be a locally trained player. The club must provide UEFA with the necessary medical evidence. UEFA may require further medical examination of the goalkeeper by an expert appointed by UEFA at the cost of the club. Once the injured or ill goalkeeper is fit to be fielded again he can resume his position in place of his nominated substitute. The change must be announced to the UEFA administration 24 hours before the next match in which the goalkeeper is due
to play.

The rule book is an interesting read, and hopefully I answered any thoughts or questions you may have had. Feel free to ask any questions or point out where I am wrong.

The lineup of Etheridge; Marsh-Brown, Anderson, Briggs, Smalling; Saunders, Harris, Moscatiello, Smith; Hoesen, Uwezu shows what I mean.

Even Smalling, Eddie Johnson, or Andranik didn’t make the short trip to Underhill. Perhaps McKinlay wanted to test out the young lads, or maybe Roy wants to switch things around a bit for the journey to the edge of Europe.

We shall see.

But then today the offal announces this:

Supportes should note that the Reserve Team match against the Uzbekistan U20 national team at Motspur Park, Kick-Off 1pm, is a behind closed doors match.

And then the match disappears from the Reserves page.

Hmm, thats sorta fishy… Word is there were a number of trialists (KG, Magnus from Denmark, hell even Uche may have been there) on display.

Switching gears, I haven’t said much about this year kits. And I gotta, say — not a big fan of either. I don’t like the black sleeves and the oddly if not misplaced stripe on the arm. And the away kit looks more like a training shirt than a uniform. Fingers crossed on the third kit.

I guess the run of decent uniforms must come to an end though. The Airness kit — particularly the black away — from three years ago is one of my favorites. And the sleek class of last year’s home kit grew on me.

It seems many clubs this year are going back to the late 80s/early 90s trend of making things complicated if not schizophrenic. Normally clubs who have minimalist home kits (United, Chelsea, Bolton, Tottenham) are getting all loopy. Only Burnley is keeping it simple.

Five days and counting…

More (great) info from Nordic Football, replete with gushing quotes from the loanee about his stay:

“Please don’t take my Wayne Brown away” is the last line of a TPS supporters’ chant composed to honour one of their campaign’s heroes. But talking to NFN minutes after he coolly netted a last-second penalty to give TPS a vital set of points against Tampere United, he revealed that as much as he appreciates his fans’ prayers, they are to no avail.

“I am going to play against VPS in Vaasa (on August 16th). Then that’s it for me, I’ll be going back home.”

…

“This has been exactly what I needed, the very reason I came here was playing games. This has been great for my experience as a player. It was a great decision from me to come here.

“Everyone has been great to me – the club, the players and the fans. I’m delighted that we are doing so well in the league,” enthused Brown, whose penalty meant TPS reduced the gap to HJK to just one point at the top of the table.

Four goals and four assists in 17 matches for TPS are not bad statistics for the player that surely should be a fixture on the reserves. And perhaps Brown will see some minutes for the first team in some cup competitions, domestic or otherwise. Although I haven’t seen him play very much, reliable sources see a tremendous upside. Which is always a good thing. Just imagine if he, Smalling, Milsom, Saunders, and Briggs can compete seemlessly in the top flight in the seasons to come. Wishful thinking, but the thought forces me to smile.

More transfer drama, as Bafana Bafana midfielder Kagiso Digacoi (can someone PLEASE spell that phonetically??) is telling the media he signed with Fulham. After the he said/she said that he, his agent, and Roy got into before, I’m holding my breath until I see it on the offal.

But the transfer we should be watching is Xabi Alonso’s move to Real Madrid. Why? Because now there’s no way Christian Poulsen is coming to Craven Cottage, but headed to the Kop. Rats.

Rich at CCN has some sublime insight into team’s composition, particularly in midfield. I agree with him, but still maintain the defense needs a body or two. Am I wrong?

Which is just under a fortnight away.

All the preseason friendlies are over for the first team, as the scheduling powers decided to focus on the Europa League. And thanks to the 3-0 drubbing at Vetra last Thursday, Roy can probably rest a little easy for the return leg on Thursday.

Perhaps the break will allow him to focus a bit more on opening day, whoever Fulham draw on Friday for the (official) Play Off Round, and the final two reserve matches.

Fulham are away to Walton Casuals on Friday August 7 and home to the U-20 Uzbekistan National Team (!!!) on Tuesday August 11. Last Tuesday they lost 2-1 to AFC Wimbledon and won 1-0 over Ali G’s Staines Town on Friday. Thankfully Staines Town posted some photos. Respek! Interesting to note Bouazza did not make the bench in either matches. If Fulham had a beat reporter, we’d know whether he’s injured or surely on his way out.

Still crickets on the transfer front. But after years past, is that such a bad thing?

Anywho, check out St. Vincent’s newest album Actor. Not my personal favorite song (definitely tracks 1 and 6), but a good one nonetheless:

Been a busy 24-plus hours! Where to start?

Well, according to the News of the World, Hodgson said Zamora rejected terms with Hull. Whether that’s before or after he scored a brace against Peterborough is unclear.

Speaking of Peterborough, a 3-0 lead quickly evaporated as time expired but thankfully Fulham wasn’t humiliated like Newcastle. Roy, as always, sums up the match superbly:

“I’m not too bothered about results in pre-season matches quite frankly. I’m worried about the performances and as I said I thought we played very well.“

Then today SkySports reports that Pompey have accepted an offer for Crouch. But then ‘Arry says he’s unaware of that. I doubt that.

Nonetheless Crouch going to Spurs doesn’t surprise me because the move, like most of Tottenham’s dealings, doesn’t make any sense. It just raises more questions than answers. Can he play with Robbie Keane? Will Defore now be a supersub? Will Bent and Pavlyucehnko fart around in the reserves? Why isn’t Spurs spending the 10 million on a defender, something they need?

Sorry to jump back to Friday, but EJ’s lone goal was enough for the reserves, including newbie Riise and more familiar faces, to win 1-0 over the Rising Phoenix. After today’s shocking display by the USMNT Development Squad, I expect a call up for EJ’s services up front soon.

I’m going to miss the reserves match on Tuesday and the Europa League match on Thursday as my new job (Americorps) requires a four day orientation in Philadelphia. Have a good week!

Against Bournemouth and Woking.

Nevertheless, the first team drew 0-0 with the Cherries and Kamara featured after halftime. The reserves won 4-1 against Blue Square Premier Woking F.C. No details, including who even played, up on the offal on that one.

With plenty of rumors and preliminary reports abounding nothing so far has been accomplished.

West Brom don’t seem interested in selling Greening. Crouch is “favoring” Fulham, but there’s no way we can afford his reported 70k/week salary. Zamora is leaving only if Crouch is arriving. No word on Kagisho Dikgacoi. Riise should be announced soon. Like with Crouch, Christian Poulsen seems a pipe dream.

Its interesting to note though that Roy, according to “reports”, doesn’t appear to be looking for more cover at the back after signing Kelly on a free. Especially when Fulham is already thin therein.

Despite having 10 players on the depth chart, I have little confidence for most beyond last year’s starting four.

I’m willing to be convinced about Baird and Kallio.

The others? Not so much. Stoor seemed mediocre in his FA Cup appearances and allegedly wants out. Smalling appears very promising, but there’s no way we can expect him to fill in just yet. Leijer still hasn’t made a first team appearance — and is not even on the first team page . And will we ever see Omosuzi again?

Its easy (and definitely required) to focus on the midfield to greatly reload as Bouazza is most definitely gone, Davies is injured until the fall, and who knows what will happen with Seol and Andranik during the season.

But defense still needs some final touches. Think Wigan may reconsider the Scharner deal? Any other suggestions?

Why? Because then I’d have a better idea as to what’s going on at Motspur Park. Excluding the the Australian Tour roster and the “reports” that “link” us to other players, we’re left in the dark as to who is or is not getting fit for the upcoming season.

Who’s reported to training camp? Just have to glean from the photos on the official page. Who is absent, and why? Just speculate.

And who are the free agents from other teams? Good luck with that.

In the states, sports reporters and radio personalities both local and national devote a day or so to whatever each league calls their “free agent day”, and at least surveys the field. Same thing when NFL teams have mini-camps and pitchers and catchers report for spring training.

With similar dates for footy, one is best directed to wikipedia. Or if they’re a big enough name, SkySports may have an update or two — provided they have the rights.

I could be wrong, but reading/listening to both American and British sports media there seems to be a differing ethos: one is more interested in the scoop and the other the exclusive interview. One breaks the news, the other waits for it be broken then vies to be first to put it back together.

Example: did anyone in Britain predict Michael Owen going to United? I’m going to guess no. Here, we have daily updates about what Brett Favre is going to do via text message (more credible than a tweet?!?) to Chris Mortensen.

Or maybe because its Fulham, the little club on the river that gets buried amidst all the other clubs from London, Liverpool and Manchester. And whoever Real Madrid are buying next.

Nonetheless I still want to know what the future holds for Bouazza and Omozusi. Is the situation in Iran affecting Andranik? Are Etuhu and PK injured and thus not going ‘down under’? What did Roy do over the off-season?

I’m going to lobby for a Fulham beat reporter, someone who gets media access to the players and club (can such a thing exist in England?) that us bloggers cannot. And I nominate Dan from hammyend.com who’s been vital in sorting out this nebulous as best anyone can. Plus, he’s in London and a great lad.

Any other suggestions?