30th April 2008 We had an absolute stinker with the Reserve game away at Portsmouth on Tuesday. And that was without even kicking a ball. The A3 was shut of because of accident so we spent  over two hours on the bus trying to get through the jams to get to Havant and Waterlooville where Pompey play their reserve matches. But about ten minutes from the ground when we were all finally looking forward getting off the bus we got a call saying the game had been called off because the pitch was water-logged! The fact that the inspection hadn’t taken place until 5pm certainly didn’t help us at all, but with that bit of news, the bus promptly turned around and we were on our way back home! Over four hours on a coach for nothing – by the time I got home I think I was as knackered from all that driving as if I’d have actually played the game! In fact the only positive that came from the whole experience is that it allowed me to watch Man United – Barca! Last Saturday, what a perfect day – and I’m not just talking about the weather. The boys got a truly great result up at Man City with that incredible comeback. Those three goals in 20 minutes gave us a huge opportunity to keep our Premier League survival hopes alive, and now we’ve got what is basically the equivalent of a huge final at home to Birmingham on Saturday.  We have to win. And if we do, we’re in a really good position going into our last game against Portsmouth. The Man City result gave everyone a real lift and the mood in the camp has been really good. But given what’s at stake on Saturday, it’s all about focus and concentration this week. We know what we’ve got to do and that’s all we’re thinking about. More soon…. April 21 2008 Welcome to the new site! So, welcome to the new-look Volzy.com. I’ve been a bit quiet recently but part of that is because I’ve been working on getting all these changes to the site made. It’s taken a while but at last I think we’re getting there. Make sure you have a good look around – there is a bit of new content including all my Times columns plus the video section which I’ll be adding to as we go along. Hopefully you’ll agree it’s a change for the better.

As you can probably tell I’ve gone for the Panini sticker album as the theme, which reminds me – my World Cup 2006 Panini album (that someone bought off me in a charity auction and then sent back to me as they didn’t want me to be without it!) is now in an exhibition in Austria as part of the build-up to Euro 2008! The exhibition is about football fans and all the crazy things they do, but there’s also a section about players and their relationship with the fans. So they approached me and asked for the album. I was happy to oblige as it’s the latest chapter in the never-ending story of this legendary book of football stickers…where will it end up next??! By the way, did you know I have a back-up Panini World Cup 2006 album? I’ve got all the stickers to fill the whole thing but I’ve intentionally resisted putting them all in yet. I’m saving it as a treat for the right moment. Sad?? No way!! I don’t think I need to explain to anyone how it’s squeaky bum time in terms of football. It’s been a really frustrating season for us as players and I’m sure it has for the fans too – I can totally empathise. But while it’s still mathematically possible for us to escape the drop, we’ve got to believe that we can do it. And I really hope that you the fans can put your frustrations aside and really get behind us in these last games as that’ll give us even more encouragement to get those vital points we need to ensure Fulham are in the Premiership next season.

While it's still possible we all have to keep believing we can do it. You've been great so far this season but please continue to get behind us as it makes such a difference. More soon…

Volzy.com: Feb 6th 2008

What a feeling! Beating Villa on Sunday was a big, big result for us. Before the Bolton game we were five points adrift from the teams above. We got a point and a clean sheet up there which was a decent result, but to come back and beat Villa - who could have made the top for by beating us – that’s given us a huge lift. Now we look in much better shape and with a result at Boro at the weekend, we could actually start to overtake teams.

The way we won was delightful too. After all he’s been through, nobody can imagine what it must have felt like for Jimmy to hit that free kick and see it swerve in the net. I don't think he knows himself as he described it afterwards as “being on ecstasy” and I'm sure he wouldn't know about that! He was properly buzzing afterwards and rightly ready to reap his well earned rewards but then the poor guy got pulled in for the drugs test. By the time he got out all the boys had gone so he was left on his own to pat his own back - somewhat of an anticlimax!!! And I know the drugs tests have to be done but the only thing the testers would have found in his test was an excess of hair enhancing product – and we could have told them that before!  

And it was a welcome return to Brian McBride on Sunday too. He looked sharp as ever when he came on which is pretty impressive given how long he’s been out and having him available for selection again is another big boost for us. In fact the treatment room has been empty this week which is great news. At times this season we’ve had a full team out injured but now everyone is well and happy. With the new signings that means we have 30-plus players to choose from so it will be a real task to get into the side.

Aside from the win, my highlight of the week was seeing Simon Elliott playing 45 minutes in a friendly reserve game against Brentford on Tuesday. And if you now have to think twice about who Simon is, that sums up everything.  I have to take my hat off to him for how he coped with his situation. He got injured in the run up to last season and was expected to be out for a few weeks but has been out ever since. His injury wasn’t as dramatic as Bully’s or Brian’s when it first happened which is probably why he has not got the attention he deserved. But I've never seen someone work as hard as him and the mental stress must have been huge. Now I look forward to training and playing with him soon. Oh, and by the way, he only went and scored a lovely goal too. Welcome back Simon…

Volzy.com: Jan 26th 2008

Not the greatest few days for us then. Arsenal was always going to be a tough game, especially the way they’re playing at the moment, and I actually thought we did well in parts. But Arsenal basically seemed to choose their moments to score - when they decided they wanted a goal they pretty much went and got one and we didn’t seem to be able to do too much about it. For our part we didn’t create enough chances and weren’t dangerous up front. Still, it was a nice occasion for me personally because I got to catch up with a few old friends from my time there. Even if they are one of the toughest challenges of the season, I still look forward to Arsenal games whenever we play them.

And then it was down to Bristol Rovers – second time lucky having made the trip last week only for the game to be called off at 4pm. We always knew it was going to be hard work playing a lower league side away from home in a cup replay – especially on a rugby pitch! I played centre mid with Bully. In fact I was his body guard, doing his dirty work while he got up to the good stuff and tried to create chances. But playing in the centre of the park on a heavy pitch for 120 minutes was hardcore – especially as the Arsenal game was only my first full 90 minutes since coming back from injury.

It’s always a gutter to lose on penalties but we should have had the game killed way before it even got to that. I thought we competed on the night but we just didn’t seem to be able to do enough to break them down. To be fair to Rovers, they took their penalties really well, and nobody can blame Bully for his miss. In that situation, penalties are as much about nerves and luck as they are about skill, and as I said, we should have beaten them before and not risked putting the result down to something as random as penalties. Had Rovers missed their last kick, I was actually due to be next up and I was almost relieved I didn’t have to take one. I missed a big penalty about eight years ago so I’m not the most confident penalty taker. Not usual for German but just goes to show I’ve been in England too long!

Anyway as much as I’m really disappointed to have gone out of the FA Cup like that (especially as I’d have loved the chance to play Barnet next - not only would it have been a good chance to progress but I would have got to go back to Underhill where I used to play with Arsenal reserves) at least we can focus solely on staying up now. It’s Bolton away next but despite what the media are bound to write, I wouldn’t say it’s a six pointer. There’s no need to give ourselves that extra pressure. We have 15 games left, which means 45 points to play for, and as far as I can see it, Bolton counts for three of those just like any other game does.

Away from football I attended the Safer Neighbourhoods Annual Challenge (SNAC) launch at a school in Hammersmith last week (www.thesnac.com). It’s organised in conjunction with the Met Police and is all about encouraging youngsters in the borough to take responsibility for making it a safer place – a great project that I’m really glad to be involved with. If you want to read more about it, click the link below. It may go someway towards explaining the picture of me and the horse!

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/premier_league/fulham/article3221679.ece

It was also my birthday last Monday, although the rescheduled Bristol Rovers game did a great job of wrecking any plans I had to celebrate. Thanks for all the messages though – very much appreciated. And while I couldn’t celebrate my birthday on the day itself, being out of the FA Cup meant that I could go and see one of my favourite bands, Van Tramp, at the Borderline last Thursday – great gig. Check them out if you haven’t already… www.myspace.com/vantramp

More soon…

Volzy.com: 8th Jan 2008

As this is my first update of 2008, a belated happy new year to you all! Although we’re over a week in now so I’m sure the resolutions have started to go to the wall already and we’re all getting back to our bad old ways!

I was very glad to put 2007 behind me given the lack of football I played, and it’s been great to have been involved in both of Fulham’s games since 2008 began. Footballers will always tell you that you can’t beat actual matches for getting yourself back into to tip-top condition and in terms of fitness, touch, touch and all that kind of thing, I’m feeling better and better with each game I play. And of course we have a new manager in charge too, and so far he’s given me a chance which feels great. I feel much more part of Fulham’s first team and the plans for the club going forward that I have done for the last eight months, and I really believe Roy Hodgson’s experience can help us out of this miserable situation we’re in now – although we’ve all got our part to play.

As much as it has been good to be playing, the last couple of results haven’t necessarily been what we would have hoped for though. There were definitely some positives in each game but at the moment we all know its results that really count right now.

I was asked before the Chelsea game if I though it was special, being a derby and all that. At the time I was of the view that it wasn’t particularly, on the grounds that we’re struggling for points and whether we get them from Chelsea or Derby, it really doesn’t matter. But I have to admit, as soon as I stepped out on to the pitch on New Year’s Day I immediately proved myself wrong. I haven’t sensed an atmosphere like that at Fulham in a long time so I take it back. They are definitely special games, and although there is a bit of distance between us and Chelsea, we know from past experience that we can beat them. To be honest I thought we did well in the first half, but Chelsea seemed to step it up a gear in the second and managed to come out on top.

Having thrown away the lead against Chelsea, we faced the opposite battle against Bristol Rovers on Sunday after they went ahead so early. All credit to Rovers, they did really well and made it really hard for us. Despite the fact that we kept getting balls in the box, we just didn’t seem to have the resources to break them down. But these Cup games against lower League teams really are a lot tougher than people think – as you can see from the other Premiership sides that didn’t sail through as expected. I’m not making excuses – we’re two leagues above Bristol Rovers so we should always beat them. But it doesn’t work like that in a one-off game. If we played them ten times, I’d pretty much expect us to win at least nine of them. But when it’s all on one afternoon, anything can happen. It’s a big day for them, they’ve got nothing to lose. It’s tricky territory, I’m tellin’ you! Anyway, we’ve now got to head down there for the replay, which will be another tough game – I’ve heard their pitch isn’t the best given that it’s used for rugby as well. But we’ve got our eyes focussed on a place in the next round and we’ll be going there to win, end of story.

And we’ve also got three very important but tough League games ahead of us now – West Ham away, Arsenal at home and then up to the Reebok to face Bolton – and it goes without saying that we need to get some points on the board as soon as possible so we can start fighting our way out of the bottom three. Games at Upton Park are always great – I love the atmosphere there so I’m looking forward to it. The away record is pretty poor but we tend to do better in London and if ever we had a New Years resolution it should be to turn around this away form once and for all. This time last season West Ham were probably in an even worse position that we are now. But it just shows how many points there still are to be won between now and May. Maybe we need to sign Tevez in the transfer window!

More soon…

Volzy.com 12 Dec 2007

I mentioned in my last update that I was aiming to get up to the Winter Wonderland German Christmas Market in Hyde Park. So when I started to get the bratwurst craving one afternoon last week I decided it was time to head over. It’s pretty convenient for me that there’s a German Christmas Market in London now. My original thought had been to head over to the motherland for a daytrip and go to a proper one back home. But as usual, time just didn’t permit, so at least I had an alternative.

Back home in Germany, any town that wants to be taken seriously has a Christmas market. They’re basically a collection of stalls, half of which sell handmade things you don’t want and will never need – personalised breakfast plates, candles made from bean wax, little wooden figures – while the other half sell all kinds of different foods. And you might not be too surprised to know that that’s why I like them because you can basically tour round the food stalls and keep stuffing yourself until you can eat no more. We’re talking grilled sausages, big pans of roasted onions and mushrooms, dampfnudeln
- which are these sweet dumplings that you eat with custard, and of course gluehwein, which is naturally the most popular stop for most people.

Like any self-respecting German Christmas market, Winter Wonderland offered the right balance of stalls – a lot of food on sale, and a lot of useless things you’ll never need to own. As I got close I let my nose take over and guide me to the sausage stand where I was happy to see proper, decent German bratwurst – although the saggy English bread it was served in let it down. And it then just seemed to go continuously downhill after that. The sauerkraut was tasteless, the roast suckling pig looked about as tender as the sole of a shoe, the bratkartoffeln – fried potatoes with bacon and onions and stuff – were basically just, well, potatoes! And as for the “German Burgers” on offer, what is one of those when it’s at home?! Burgers aren’t German! So overall I think there’s a bit of work still to do because it isn’t giving Londoners the best reflection of what a real German Christmas market is like. That said, it’s better than nothing I suppose. And at least I satisfied the Bratwurst craving...

Volzy: 6th December 2007

Had another run-out in the reserves on Tuesday night – we beat Spurs 1-0 at the Cottage. That was my second game in successive weeks and I have to say, it’s great to be playing again after so long out with injury – although trying to catch up with match fitness isn’t always the best feeling as I’m sure you can imagine. Because my first game back last week went so well, especially physically, I was probably expecting the same again, but against Spurs it was a lot harder in that department. That was really the only negative though and it just feels so good to be out there again.

I lasted 65 minutes in all and there are still some areas I’ll be looking to improve on over the next week. But overall I’m still making good progress. As for the plan going forward, I’ve had no injury set backs after these games and I’m back in full training with the first team again, so now my target is just to get back into the side.

It was also great to play at the Cottage again too, although playing in front of 200 instead of 20,000 is slightly different to what I’m normally used to. But it was still nice to be back at the stadium anyway.

So, December is here at last. I’ve already made my feelings known with regard to how ridiculous I think it is that Christmas has become so commercialised that it now seems to start in September. But now that it’s December I think we can all start to get into the spirit. I’ve got a few candles on the go already, and have been baking Christmas cookies too. The first ones I did were before the Spurs game but I managed to burn them, so more work needed there. I’m looking forward to heading up to the German Christmas Market in Hyde Park soon too – pick up some German Christmas food and a few bits and pieces and really get in the mood. And although one of the hardest parts of being a footballer is having to work over the festive season, for once there is a Christmas approaching where I’m really looking forward to playing – hopefully…!

Volzy: 28th Nov 2007 :::

I made my comeback in the reserves last night after a couple of months out of action getting some injuries treated. Aside from the fact that we won 3-0, I was really pleased with the way things went from a personal perspective. Matches are always a good test of where you are in your recovery and if last night was anything to go by all seems to be going to plan. I played for just over an hour, but even when I came off I still felt I had more in the tank. It felt really good on all levels – physical, technical, sharpness, touch. In fact I felt better than I’d even expected which all bodes well. I’m hoping to play in next week’s reserve game against Spurs at the Cottage and that gives me the chance to get another full week’s training under my belt. And if I keep progressing like this and don’t get any setbacks I’ll hopefully be in a position to compete for a first team place as the hectic December fixture schedule approaches. More soon…

Volzy.com: 23rd November 2007

I’m back training now after two months out being injured. I went to see the specialist German doctor Muller-Wohlfarth in Munich the week before last, and his almost never-ending series of injections really seem to have done the trick. I trained with the reserves twice last week, and this week I’ve been back with the first team group, bar all the internationals of course. The good news is that with each session I’ve started feeling better and better and my pain symptoms have reduced. Although I still felt wasted after the sessions which means I’ve got a bit of fitness work to do. So after a frustrating couple of months, it’s been great progress of late and hopefully I’ll be back in contention for a place in the team very soon.

How soon exactly I don’t quite know. It’ll come down to fitness. There’s a reserve game on Tuesday against Portsmouth and I’d love to play in that although it might still be a bit early for me – we’ll have to make a call on it with the medical department. I’m itching to get back as soon as possible but the last thing I want is to do too much too soon and set myself back again so I have to be sensible. When you’ve been injured you need a game to really measure where you are and to see how you cope with game situations, so if I don’t make Portsmouth I’ll have to aim for the reserve game the week after that. I’ll definitely need a reserve game under my belt before I can pit myself back in contention for the first team because it’ll be a marker for where I’m at.

Like everyone else, I was pretty shocked to see England lose against Croatia the other night. I only saw the first half because I’d already decided to go to the cinema and watch American Gangster (Denzel Washington is great, but it’s very long, pretty violent and I couldn’t handle all the close-ups of the drug-users putting needles into their flesh!). Things certainly didn’t get off to the greatest start and I thought it was pretty harsh for a debut keeper to concede like that – you can only feel sorry for Scott Carson in that position.

Obviously the subject of the goalkeepers has turned into a big debate already. But I think one of the England team’s biggest problems is the amount of discussion there is about absolutely everything involved. It all gets so heavily analysed that it’s actually very difficult for those involved to make decisions of their own free will without getting sucked into worrying about what the reaction will be. With the players England has, more should certainly have been achieved. But for some reason those players just don’t seem to be able to express that talent when they pull on the national shirt and that is the real issue here.

Look at Ericsson as another example. He was criticised for all sorts of things when he was in the England job. And then as soon as he goes back into club management, he takes an under-performing Man City right up into the top three almost straight away. So in terms of managerial skills he obviously has a lot in the locker – which is why he got the England job in the first place. But it shows just how hard the England job is and I think that’s really all down to the fact that you have to operate under this constant microscope and with all this huge weight of expectation. I have to say, the British media love a scapegoat. You only have to look at the stick the poor Chancellor’s getting at the moment to see that. But this all combines to cause a lack of composure, which ultimately results in under-performance.

Of course, all the talk of capping the number of foreign players has kicked off again now. I’ve got to say, I think that’s total nonsense. Being host to the best league in the world can only help the national team and raising the quantity of domestic players in each team does not mean raising the quality. It might be easier for English youngsters to break into a first team. But what have you gained by that? It doesn’t mean the standards have gone up. If anything they’ll have gone down because the competition is less. And football is all about competition – between teams and within them. That’s how the cream rises.

Yes, things went wrong during this campaign for England. But it doesn’t mean that the whole set-up of English football is wrong. But a bit of time to identify exactly where the issues are might be just what English football needs in the long run.

It’s a great shame that England won’t be there next summer. It would have been a better competition had they been taking part and they’ll be sorely missed. And by me as much as anyone else because I was hoping for a big England-Germany clash in one of the later knock-out games! We’ll have to wait until 2010 now…

7th November 2007

Must have been overdoing the bake-offs a little in the last weeks. All the flour marks in the house must have left a sour taste with my cleaner as she’s quit. I’ll miss her a lot - since she took on the job I got quite used to not having to move a finger around the house apart from the cooking. Now I’ll have to put it all on hold until I find a new person to keep the domestics to a bare minimum.

I’ve noticed all the Christmas marketing has been underway for a couple of weeks now – and for me to notice anything it must be pretty major and obvious. I’ve already seen everything from chocolate Santas to decorations and lights in the supermarkets. I'm all for being prepared but do we really need to start in mid-October?!?!? I love Christmas and it hurts me a little having to play Boxing Day, as it takes all the focus away 
from the festive season. Christmas brings people together and encourages us to look back and reflect on things.  It also means good food - and plenty of it! But every year it seems to get more and more about spending money and buying presents. It is absolutely ridiculous and I can't stand the heavy marketing. Soon we will have Christmas all year round. The only good thing about it is the fact that I can get my eggnog latte from Starbucks earlier too. I'm not a fan of Starbucks but that creamy, sweat drink with the faintest hint of coffee is fabulous. You must go and try!

In the week from the 12th-17th November (that’s next week!) I’ll be taking on the Kingston Princes’ Trust team in a fundraiser called The Monopoly Race. Basically I will have to go to every site on the London Monopoly board and take pictures. Both teams will start at Waterloo and whoever gets back there first wins. It all came about when the guys were giving me stick about riding my little fold-up bike so I’ve told them that with that as my transport I’ll still be able to beat them. But as this is all for charity I'm asking for sponsors for both teams.

To sponsor please drop an email to: ptrustkingston@btconnect.com  and they’ll give you the details of what you need to do.

Anyone who sponsors £5 or more and backs the winner will enter into a prize draw to win a signed Fulham shirt. I really hope you’ll all support this good cause and send in loads of cheques. Will let you know how it goes next week…

I'm in Germany at the moment getting further treatments on my injuries and am really hopeful I can kick on from here. I'm itching all over to start training and playing football again.

More soon…

25th October 2007

Just a quick update today as I haven’t been up to much other than the daily grind of injury rehab. I’m now in my fourth week and the monotony is killing me. I try to keep reminding myself that this is sometimes what we have to put up with – I just hope that this is my last time out injured for a long while. In terms of progress I had a meeting on Thursday and it looks like an injection in a day or two and then possibly off to Germany next week to see a specialist over there. Hopefully it’ll only be another week or two and the long term benefit is that I’ll be fitter and stronger than I was even at the start of this season.

I didn’t see the Derby game. I wanted to go but Carlos Bocanegra got a leek at his house on Saturday morning so I had to go round there and let the plumber in while he went off and played. Don’t worry, the leek is fixed now.

I had a bit of a bake-off last week with my neighbour. We started at about 4pm and cooked on until about half nine doing all sorts – walnut and apricot bread, vanilla and peanut biscuits, chicken pie, a special sweetbread. It was great – chatting, cooking and eating, an ideal way to take my mind off things…

more soon…

12th October 2007

Three MRI scans on three different parts of my body in two weeks. Foot, hip and shoulder. The people at Kingston Hospital know me pretty well now. It would probably work out cheaper if I bought my own scanner.

I have to admit that being injured is doing my head in a bit and there are some days when it really gets me down. So before I get in trouble with anyone, I’m taking this opportunity to apologise for being a grumpy sod in advance. I know it’s a bit of a cliché but being injured really is the worst thing for any sportsman. In terms of actual progress, I’m getting there but it’s slower than I was hoping for. So I’m getting some more specialist opinions on how I can progress and I might have to get some injections.

Some of the Fulham fans people probably saw me with my bucket collecting money for charity in and around the stands at the Pompey game last week. It was all in aid of SPARKS which puts money into medical research for children and is all part of the Premier League’s “Creating Chances” campaign. Gabby Logan collecting too. I’ve spoken to her a few times before on Five Live, so we decided to have a competition to see who could get the most money by the end of the day. But being a sportsman I had to win so if I met you and I appeared a bit over keen, that’s why. But it was all good and I had a lot of fun. At the end of the day I didn’t have any voice left, but it was nice great to get to talk to the fans again. Everyone was really generous to me and very encouraging about the injuries so I felt a lot better afterwards. And seeing as I haven’t had much action on the pitch lately it was nice to be working on a match day for a change!

Am making the most of being injured though. On the day the rest of the lads were involved playing Chelsea, I got up at about half four in the morning, picked up my other injured team mate Simon Elliot – who is a Kiwi – and went down to the Slug at Fulham Broadway to watch the Aussie Rules Final because Geelong were playing. I don’t know if you remember but they were the AFL side that came over to visit and train with us a few months ago – partly because their team doctor, Chris Bradshaw, used to be our Doc at Fulham. I still keep in touch with a couple of the guys so I really wanted to see how they got on in such a big game - I think it was the first time in 44 years they’d got to the Final.

The pub was huge, and packed too – and most people in there hadn’t even been home since getting there after work on Friday night! I’d just got up and was thinking about breakfast and everyone else in there was staggering about with jugs of beer - and that includes the girls too! Don’t think I’m going to make a habit of getting up at 4am on a Saturday to watch the Aussie Rules but it was worth it to see the Geelong boys win their big game. I’m actually a bit gutted I missed out on Aussie Rules when I was younger – such a great sport, so athletic and honest. They wear some pretty bad gear mind you, and that’s coming from me. And I did notice some shocking hair-do’s as well. One player in particular, a guy called Cameron Ling, looked like a full-on ginger version of Jimmy Bullard which is pretty scary…

Have ordered the Van Tramp album, so am waiting for that to arrive. Van Tramp are my mate’s band and they got signed earlier this year, so it’s a real buzz to see their CD in HMV and their video on the TV. The big, established bands had better watch out now! Am obviously happy about the Gunners being on fire and playing the kind of football that they are, although there’s certainly a disappointed mood in the camp about our own results. Improvements needed there for sure...

More soon…

26th September 2007

Have been on the treatment table most of this week following the Reserve game against Reading. Was great to get a win against a decent side though – player for player it wasn’t far off the same Reading side that played Liverpool in the Carling Cup. And as for the left-footed screamer that opened the scoring for us that night, well, say no more!

But, all that aside, my body actually didn’t react too well after the game. I had really bad groin pains and a dead calf which didn’t want to settle, and on top of that my foot is still sore from a kick I got against Villa a few weeks ago. To be honest, a lot of this has been troubling me through pre-season and I haven’t been 100% right, so with all of that in mind, the Fulham medical team have decided to take me out of training for a couple of weeks to try and settle all these various problems down - a lot of them are inflammatory which means that if you keep training and playing they don’t get any better. So I’ll be out for a couple of weeks but hopefully after that I’ll be in much better shape than I have been all season and will be ready to make a difference.

When you’re getting treatment it kind of takes over your life so I haven’t done too much in the way of interesting non-football things. It’s all nine-to-five days generally speaking, but I don’t mind that. I’m not just fighting one problem but three or four, so whatever it takes to get all these niggles sorted I’ll do. So I’ll be doing stability work, strengthening some muscles, stretching others, having ice treatment and generally getting my body more balanced again. Like I said, there’ll be a few long days ahead but it’s the right thing to do and I’m confident that in two weeks or so I’ll be back to normal. And I must admit, I’m really looking forward to training and playing without any limitations or any pains.

We had a bit of a server problem last week and ended up losing some mail so if anyone sent me anything important please send it again! And all being well I should have a nice, new volzy.com site going up soon too – will keep you posted…

More soon

13th September 2007

Since the Spurs game we’ve had an international break, which always means half the squad heading off to all corners of the world. But for us losers who stay at home it means training with a smaller group that usually involves a load of youngsters. But it also gives the chance for the coaches to give the players a rest too, which is never to be scoffed at. So with a rare long weekend to ourselves, I headed off to New York to visit some friends and generally hang out. September is a great month to be in Manhattan – sunny, 29 degrees, just perfect really. Even though I was only there a couple of months ago I seemed to get lost a lot this time. For some reason I developed a real inability to separate my east from my west. And 30 blocks in the wrong direction is a LONG way. But I didn’t let that ruin what was otherwise a great trip that once again involved a lot of steak – those guys can cook one like nobody else! Yorkers do a steak like nobody else.

But I’m back now, and just waiting for the international lads to report for duty again. Hopefully they won’t be too tired because we have a very short time to prepare for Wigan away on Saturday. It’s a big one for us and we have to be looking to get something out of it, especially as one of our biggest targets this season is to improve our away form. A win up there on Saturday would certainly be a great way to get that off the ground. And if I’m picked to travel, I’ll be looking forward to meeting up with Browny to see how he’s enjoying life back up north. In fact, I wouldn’t mind a little run out in midfield so we can go head to head and I can try and nutmeg him!

Oh, and a film tip for you – I went to see No Reservations last night. It’s all about this really obsessed chef that has no life at all, but it all changes when she gets this new guy working for her. It’s easy on the mind but involves a lot of kitchen activity so it was a film made for me!

3rd September 2007

That was quite a game on Saturday. Delighted we salvaged a point - we’d lost three in four before Saturday and conceded too many late goals, so it was good to see us impose that on someone else. Tottenham were always going to be tough opposition just because they have so much quality going forward. Even before the game, we knew they were the kind of side that would always create chances just because of the players they have and the game they play so we always knew it was going to be a busy afternoon. I don’t think anyone can deny that Spurs had plenty of chances to put the game way beyond our reach earlier on but full credit to the guys for fighting back in the way that they did. It’s not easy to come back from behind three times.

On a personal note, I thought I was going to be in the starting line-up so I was naturally pretty gutted to end up on the bench and not get on. But at least I got to start up at Shrewsbury in the Carling Cup last week. That was one of those games where, as a Premiership side, you really do go there with everything to lose. Even if you win by three or four goals and have a good game, it doesn’t count for much as that’s what everyone expects. So we were just glad to get a round further. We looked well organised and kept a clean sheet, and that must now be our target in the Premiership because clean sheets give you a sense of stability. So far we’ve scored in every game, but we’ve also conceded in every game too, and we’ve got to get that out of our system. Normally at this time of the season I’d be picking out the couple of new additions to the squad to give you an idea about how they’re getting on in their new environment. But in this year’s case, it’ll probably be quicker to tell you how the handful of remaining old boys are doing! This has definitely been the most extreme transfer window I’ve ever experienced, and not just at Fulham either.

Generally speaking there seems to have been many more ins and outs than last season. I’m not sure why – maybe it’s the effect of the extra TV money. I’ve only been at Fulham for four years and with Zat going to Villa, I’m now the longest serving player on the books! But I suppose it’s to be expected when a new manager comes in, and I’d be surprised if we see this much change at Fulham again for a good while.

On the subject of Zat, I just want to take this opportunity to wish him all the best at his beloved Villa – not that he needs it after his epic debut on Sunday. Zat was at FFC for almost nine years, so you can’t begrudge him moving on. He was a really nice guy to have around and I really hope that he kicks on from where he left off on Sunday – apart from when we play them, where we’ll all be hoping he can gift us back that own goal he scored for us against the Villa a couple of weeks ago!

Sad to hear that Claus Jensen’s decided to retire because if his injuries. Football really has lost an amazing talent there. He was one of the true characters of the game - always played with a smile on his face and was a great influence on others too. For me he was the Danish Zidane – partly for his composure on the ball of course, but also because he’s got the same hair do. I remember the day he joined Fulham. New players will always come, but every now and then you hear that someone has signed and you think, “Wow, he’s really going to do something for us.” And when Claus signed I felt that more than at any other time – a great, great signing. Unfortunately things didn’t work out so well due to the injuries which have ultimately ended his career early. And it’s a great shame, because although he looks about 48, he is still only 30! Hopefully we’ll see him make a come back as a musician soon as he’s pretty handy at all that stuff – especially if the impromptu performance at his 30th birthday is anything to go by!

More soon

24th August 2007 At last, I’ve finally dried out after the soaking I got up at Wembley on Wednesday night. But getting a bit wet was a small price to pay to watch the Fatherland get one over on jolly old England! I have to say, I really love England-Germany games, especially as a German playing over here. The banter it causes before and after at the training ground is classic. I was at the last game at the old Wembley when we beat England 1-0 and went into Arsenal the next day dishing out the stick to all the English boys there. But the downside is that if you give it, you have to be able to take it, and after all that mouthing off, we then lost 5-1 in Munich not long after so I had to come in and face the music after that which taught me a lesson or two! These days I tend to keep it low key before the game and then dish it out if and when we win. So as you can imagine, I had a bit of a laugh at the training ground on Thursday morning as I walked in wearing my German flag afro wig. Funnily enough the English lads all seemed a bit quiet… I had the wig on at the game too, along with one of my old Germany Under 21 shirts. It’s always a good way to invite a bit of stick off the England fans, but I’ve got to say, most of it was good natured. Special mention has to go to the two guys I saw wearing World War One helmets – quality! Had the weather not been so minging I would have taken the German fashion a stage or two further and gone for the infamous sock-and-sandal combo, but I did opt for some fluorescent trainers in true German football fan style. Was pretty impressed with the new Wembley on my first visit. There’s no doubting it’s a great stadium, but that said, I still don’t think it could ever live up to the fuss and cost involved in building it. Had a half decent burger there though, which is always a good sign. As friendlies go, I thought it was actually a really good game with plenty of chances. I’m not quite sure what happened to England because they were really buzzing to start with. But full respect to Christian Pander (“Pander Shoots and Leaves”…great headline!) for a wonder strike to win the game for us. And well done to my mate Thomas Hitzlsperger too. Highlight of the night for me? Other than Germany winning of course, it was hearing the German fans singing “Football’s Coming Home,” back to the England fans, but with thick German accents – that was priceless! The day before the game I’d been invited by the German Ambassador to a pre-game reception at the German Embassy which was good. Met some interesting people and found out about a German bakery that’s located in Ham, just near Richmond. Apparently it sells everything that a German living in London could care to want. So it was a worthwhile trip just to find that out. So the season’s underway, and after beating Bolton, it could have been a really great start had we not lost to Boro last weekend. That one was a huge disappointment, but what a weird game. Everything seemed to be happening that day. Brian scored and in the same movement dislocated his knee, Bouzza then did the same to his shoulder, the ref had to be substituted…it was crazy. When they called out asking if anyone in the ground was qualified to take over as fourth official I actually considered putting my hand up, just to get some involvement in the game! Off to Birmingham now, more next week…

26th August 2007 So the season is almost upon us and the friendlies are all over. It seems a long time ago now that we played Dagenham & Redbridge in the first of the warm-up games. There isn’t much to say about that one, other the crowd cheering "Denzel, Denzel, give us a wave!" at Tony Warner none stop. By the way we’ve found out that Paul Konchesky used to be called “Eggy” by his West Ham teammates. But it’s not just because of the shape of his head though. Take a look at the West Ham chairman you’ll know why. Next up was Brighton but I almost didn’t even make it to that one after a slight domestic incident. With the game in the evening we were supposed to be in at two in the afternoon to prepare set pieces, so I was at home all morning doing bits and bobs. About an hour before I had to leave I went to the toilet which was where the fun began because the bathroom door wouldn’t open and I couldn’t get out! I was trying everything but although the handle was moving, nothing was happening. I checked my pockets but my mobile wasn’t on me and it was then that I really started to panic. After a few minutes of continued attempts to budge the door I started shouting, because fortunately our cleaner was in. But she couldn't open the door from the other side either, so I asked her to get hold of our handyman to rescue me.

My girlfried was on holiday at the time too, so if the cleaner hadn’t been there I could have been stuck in that poxy room for days! Oh well, at least I was in the right place to be crapping myself. And I can’t let rip about poor plumbers on this one can I? Bloody carpenters!!! Can't even make a proper door! We eventually got to Brighton, who pretty much tried to kick us off the pitch, and then it was off to Hong Kong to play in the Barclays Asia Trophy. What a fascinating place - doubt if I could live there but was definitely interesting to visit. None of the buildings are less than ten stories high and most are three of four times that. At first I imagined it to be quite small and dense but it was much bigger than I’d imagined. And the people are so friendly. We were really looked after – nothing was left to chance and anything that we needed, either as a team or individuals, was taken care of without any fuss.

It was really humid and training was tough in all the heat, but it was nice to be able to recover by the hotel’s fantastic pool. The tournament involved us, South China, Liverpool and Portsmouth. I didn’t feature in the first game which was against Portsmouth, but I thought we played pretty well. Even though we lost we probably had the better chances but just didn’t make enough use of them. The second game, against South China, was for third place which we won quite comfortably. I played 70 minutes in that one.

We didn’t get out much, but the one time I did go out was with Carlos and Brian to a shopping mall across the bay. Instead of just taking a taxi, we decided we’d get on one of the ferries that locals use, but by the time we got to the ferry we realized that none of us had any Hong Kong dollars on us. It was absolutely baking hot and the idea of walking back to the hotel was a non-starter. So while Brian went off for about 20 minutes trying to find a cash point, Carlos and I decided to try and offer a few locals some US dollars in return for Honk Kong dollars, but at a really good rate. It didn’t really get us anywhere. In fact, in a city where everyone speaks English, all those we approached just pretended they didn’t understand and tried to walk off pretty quickly. After four or five failed attempts, we got helped by a school girl. In fact she even offered to pay for us, but we insisted she took some money in return. And when we finally got on the boat after all that fuss, the fare was only $2.20HK – which works out at about 25p!

What else has happened since the last update?  I went on a tourist trip down to the Tower of London. Some German friends gave me tickets after being shocked at how few London sites I’d seen during my eight years here. The Tate, the Millennium Wheel and Barnet Town Hall is about the size of it. But I couldn't be bothered to queue for the torture chamber. After seeing our gym this summer I don't think there would be anything that could shock me.

I’ve been down to the park recently, not to watch Sunday League football this time, but because a friend of mine has started playing Ultimate Frisbee. Imagine Frisbee crossed with rugby and you’ll get the idea. I checked it out on YouTube and it’s amazing so he’s had me down in Kennington Park showing me some moves, and he even gave me my own personal Volzy Frisbee. Keen to practice, I’ve since got my girlfriend down to the park too. But I doubt she’ll be coming again after breaking a nail on her first catch. And the local dogs took a bit of a liking to the disc too, which made handling it a bit off-putting!

More soon!