Pogrebnyak speaks about move

Pavel Pogrebnyak has broken his silence on his move to Fulham, claiming his mood is "manful".

The striker, who was signed from VFB Stuttgart on a six month deal, hadn't had the best time of it in Germany and has openly expressed how he felt about his time at the club. The Russian was at a loss for form and was discontented with his role in the team. With his move to England, though, he is hoping that things will change, and he will not follow the same Premier League path as compatriots Andrei Arshavin, Diniyar Bilyaletdinov and Roman Pavlyuchenko, all of whom struggled to make an impact on the British Isles.

"It will be difficult for me but I'm not afraid," Pogrebnyak told Sport-Express.

"I have to build into a new team and learn a new type of football. I have to be collected but my mood is manful."

The former Zenit striker has yet to make his debut for Fulham, amid work permit complications that are not expected to be dealt with until Thursday. Martin Jol wants him ready for Saturday's tie with Stoke City, but knows that without sufficient training behind him and without truly blending with the squad, this week's fixture could be too soon.

Despite this, Pogrebnyak still had the time to praise his new club.

"When the coach worked in Hamburg, I remember that he wanted me to sign for his team. I've talked to him on the phone recently and he told me where he'd like me to play on the pitch.

"I watched Fulham on the television and it's true that it's a team that likes creative football and it has some really experienced players.

"It'll be interesting for me to play there.

"Up front there is Johnson, Ruiz and Dembele, and the top goalscorer is Dempsey from the US. In midfield there are two seasoned players Murphy and Duff."

Well at least we know he can use Wikipedia.