Great Road Trip Jacksonville

[psand22]

  My wife and I passed the kids off to the grandparents and went down on Thursday.  Made it in time to hit the sugar white sands of Atlantic Beach for some sun and of course, a few beers at happy hour.  Ate at the Flying Iguana and it was fabulous.  Peruvian, Mexican, and other influences.
 
  Friday morning had us at the Jaguars training fields to watch the NFL team's first workout.  The Fulham squad was there to watch the practice, walk thru Everbank Field, and sign  autographs.  Quite a treat watching the lads try and throw an American football.  At the end of practice, Hugo got a lesson from Josh Scobee the Jags kicker and he booted one thru the uprights with the fans, and Jags players chanting his name.  One fan said that Hugo looked better than one of the kickers trying to make the team, after he had missed 3 of 6 from close range.

  While waiting in line to get an autograph,  Jag President Mark Lamping was walking by and noticed my Fulham shirt and brought over Felix for a brief chat and photo. Then the players came by and signed as well.  l was able to get 10 of the 16 players. 
  That evening,  we went back to the stadium to watch the open practices.  Fulham started out the practice under the guidance of Conditioning Coach Werner Leuthard.  Let me just say, this man is a beast.  He was bouncing from yoga poses, to push ups, and all kinds of sadistic stretches.  I'm sure the team was glad to break into a split squad possession drills to get a break.  Jororen and Beitinelli were working out with Coach Andre Lenz.  First with some shot stopping drills and then catching crosses and working on distribution from throws and kicks.  After practice the team came over to the fans and threw their jerseys into the crowds.  There were a lot of happy kids and adults.

  Saturday started with a trip to Little Talbot State Park.  Great trails, wildlife, and a beach that's a lot less crowded.  And who will forget the free sunburn we got.  Quick change and we headed off to the Jacksonville Sports Tavern for the meet up put on by Fulham in Florida.  After parking, the bottom fell out with a heavy downpour and sharp lightning.  I was rethinking the spot by the bar for $25, instead of the short walk we took for only $10 to park, as the lightning seemed to be dancing around us.
 
  It was great to be among Fulham fans for a change on game day.  No Blue Scums, or Liverpoos to be found.  It was quite amazing to meet others that loved the team so much, they would travel from all across the US (and some from across the pond) for the chance to watch the team on US soil.  Some that have season tickets at the Cottage, some that make it over every few years to catch a match, and others that have only been able to watch from a far.  It didn't really matter, we were all one big happy family.

  Then Jags Prez and Shad Khan came rolling in and kicked the festivities up another notch.  They came bearing team shirts to auction off and a round or two of drinks for the bar.  I think we had around 130 Fulham fans in the Tavern and he took photos with everyone it seemed.  After several pints, it was time to head over for the game.  The storm had passed and we were in for a great evening.
  Of course, the Whites had another good performance and went on to win 3-0.  Dembele took his chances. Yes, two were defensive mistakes, but he made no mistake and calmly finished them like an experienced striker.  I thought David, Stafylidis, and the CB pairing of Hutchinson and Burgess looked sharp.
 
  The stadium was just updated and the new video boards are sick. 60' tall and longer than two 757's nose to tail and they're on both ends of the stadium.  They also added two pools and several cabana suites.  Now the City pitched in some money, but Khan and the Jags have worked well with the City to get the updates completed under budget and in time. The crowd gave Khan a big welcome and he seemed to be touched by the applause.  He seems to have his heart and his check book in the right place.  But it's the little things that count...The President of the Jags pulling the Coach over to speak to me.  Stopping by the bar to greet the fans was enough, but he then bought the bar a few rounds.  Wow, what a weekend.  Close to 53,000 in attendance and a lot of them showed up for the match.  Now season ticket holders got free tickets for the event.
  Overall, Jacksonville was great.  It's amazing the transformation going on the Jaguars and I can't wait to see what Mr Khan does with our beloved team.  I had a short drive of 4 1/2 hours to get to the game and I'll be there every time the Whites roll into town.   082.gif

[dino1828]

I was at the bar when Shad showed up he is great and the game was good the boards are huge good day all together.

[Deanothefulhamfan]

Nice read....Thanks for sharing

[Fernhurst]

Yes, it's always agreeable to read a first hand account from a Fulham Fan.
Thank you

[Holders]

Good read, thank you. 4.5 hours drive is much like a typical away game for most of us (or a home game, if you live in Devon like I do).

[MasterHaynes]

Thanks for the write up, good to hear the Chairman got so involved with the fans and extended the Fulham family values to our distant cousins with some free beers and general Bonhomie

[Fulham1959]

Nice read....Thanks for sharing

:plus one:

[Scrumpy]

Thanks for sharing. I must say, Shad sounds like a good guy.

I hope we can see some improvements at the Jaguars (on the pitch) just to convince some of the UK based Fulham fans (not me) that Shad DOES know what he's doing and we will shortly rise again! It would be nice to point to a success story in the States by way of evidence.

[Me-ate-Live, innit??]

Seems from here and elsewhere that it was an excellent meeting
Thanks for sharing    psand22

[jmh]

Sounds great, thanks for sharing!  Wish I'd been able to make it down but it wasn't in the cards, maybe next time Fulham are in the States.

[Lighthouse]

Grrrrrrr, too many good write ups are making me warm to our Chairman.

[The Bronsons]

Yes, some classy touches there from the owner and his team. Glad you had a good time, and thanks for the write-up.

[Logicalman]

Great write-up, and I can attest to everything that was written about the training, game & Tavern, it was such a great experience, capped off by Khan taking the time to have a chat & photos with each and everyone at the bar!!

One thing to add:  A MASSIVE shout to Fulham Florida group, without whom it would not have been that special day. Thank you lads & lasses, you did every Fulham fan proud this weekend, and to paraphrase winnie, so many owe so much to the few of you, well done.

[valdeingruo]

Grrrrrrr, too many good write ups are making me warm to our Chairman.

I will say, when they unvieled the massive boards after the match, the noise the crowd made when they announced Khan would speak was quite loud, showing the level of affection they have for him. Hopefully in time, this will be true here aswell.

[Scrumpy]

I think the short (slightly chubby!) balding one is Mark Maunders. He is the guy who makes sure new signings settle in fine, makes sure their wives are happy, their kids find a good school etc. A nice guy who has been a Fulham fan for longer than I have! Definitely a fan first, then an employee second.

Great to hear all these good PR stories!

[YankeeJim]

There was one bad thing about the trip. rogerinvirginia wanted a handsome contest and offered up his wife as judge. I took the bet and she judged that I won the competition and Roger never paid off!!!!!!   :031:

[love4ffc]

I think the short (slightly chubby!) balding one is Mark Maunders. He is the guy who makes sure new signings settle in fine, makes sure their wives are happy, their kids find a good school etc. A nice guy who has been a Fulham fan for longer than I have! Definitely a fan first, then an employee second.

Great to hear all these good PR stories![/quote]

Mark Maunders was his name and he was a really nice guy.  Talked for a long time with us about all things Fulham.  Thought he said he had been there for something like 15 years.  He and the other intern pretty much hung with us the whole time.  Great PR.  

[rogerpbackinMidEastUS]

There was one bad thing about the trip. rogerinvirginia wanted a handsome contest and offered up his wife as judge. I took the bet and she judged that I won the competition and Roger never paid off!!!!!!   :031:

I'm still travelling,currently in Savannah.
Will be home by the weekend and will sort you out.  (100 yen I believe)
In the meantime, kindly stop sulking.

[Holders]

I think the short (slightly chubby!) balding one is Mark Maunders. He is the guy who makes sure new signings settle in fine, makes sure their wives are happy, their kids find a good school etc. A nice guy who has been a Fulham fan for longer than I have! Definitely a fan first, then an employee second.

Great to hear all these good PR stories!

Mark Maunders was his name and he was a really nice guy.  Talked for a long time with us about all things Fulham.  Thought he said he had been there for something like 15 years.  He and the other intern pretty much hung with us the whole time.  Great PR.  


[/quote]

Mark Maunders is an absolutely top bloke. I thought he'd been around for more than 15 years though. When he got his FT job at Fulham I contacted the club to congratulate him and was surprised to get a phone call from him thanking me. I'm so glad to hear that he survived the night of the long knives.

[YankeeJim]

There was one bad thing about the trip. rogerinvirginia wanted a handsome contest and offered up his wife as judge. I took the bet and she judged that I won the competition and Roger never paid off!!!!!!   :031:

I'm still travelling,currently in Savannah.
Will be home by the weekend and will sort you out.  (100 yen I believe)
In the meantime, kindly stop sulking.
[/quote

Ok.im waiting for justice. LOL