Monday Fulham Stuff - 08/06/26...

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Why Rio Ngumoha Can't be Called into England World Cup Squad - Even in Injury Crisis
During the first of their two pre-World Cup friendly matches, England faced New Zealand on Saturday. It was a match of little incident as Thomas Tuchel gave 22 players game time to help his squad acclimate to the US weather and pitch conditions.

In the end, a single goal from Harry Kane, who headed in a winner moments before half-time, was enough to settle things. As it was more of a training exercise than a real match, Tuchel seemed mostly happy that his players had come through the 90 minutes unscathed.

However, fans watching at home could not help but notice the lively cameo from Liverpool youngster Rio Ngumoha. He isn't in the Three Lions squad for the World Cup, and will not feature even if injuries force Tuchel into making a change from his original 26-man team.

Rio Ngumoha Among Four Youngsters In England Supplementary Group
It's not uncommon for a handful of players to travel to a World Cup despite not being in the actual playing squad. This is to help make up the numbers during training and is particularly useful for Tuchel right now as Arsenal contingent Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Noni Madueke, and Eberechi Eze have arrived at the camp later than the rest of the team due to their participation in the Champions League final.

Goalkeeper Dean Henderson will also join them, delayed after winning the Conference League with Crystal Palace. With those men absent, Ngumoha is among a small group – along with Alex Scott, Josh King and Ethan Nwaneri – who have travelled as supplementary members of the England squad.

Against New Zealand, Ngumoha, aged 17 years and 281 days, became the fifth-youngest player to debut for the England men's team. On what was a pretty drab affair, he was arguably the brightest player on the pitch during the second half. He was even named as the Man of the Match.

As such, some fans were pleading with Tuchel to call him into the senior squad as a late addition ahead of the World Cup. However, this is not a possibility, and so the Liverpool starlet will fly home with the other youngsters after the final warm-up match against Costa Rica on 10 June.



https://www.givemesport.com/why-rio-ngumoha-cant-be-called-up-england-world-cup-squad/

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Former Liverpool boss turns down Fulham amid Netherlands speculation
Slot turns down Fulham approach as Netherlands role emerges on horizon

Fresh from a turbulent exit at Liverpool, Arne Slot has wasted little time in making a statement about his future. According to the original report from talkSPORT, Fulham approached the Dutch coach about becoming their next manager, only for Slot to reject the opportunity and rule out an immediate return to Premier League football.

The decision comes less than a week after Slot's departure from Liverpool and offers an intriguing insight into the direction he may be considering as he weighs up the next chapter of his coaching career.

Fulham search continues after managerial vacancy
Fulham are in the market for a new manager following Marco Silva's departure to Benfica. The west London club have begun assessing potential candidates and viewed Slot as a high-profile option capable of maintaining the progress achieved under Silva.

However, the former Liverpool head coach has decided against taking the role.

The original source, talkSPORT, reports that Slot was identified as a candidate of interest but quickly turned down the prospect of moving to Craven Cottage. Fulham must now continue their search, with Ipswich Town manager Kieran McKenna and former Brentford and Tottenham Hotspur boss Thomas Frank among the names previously linked with the vacancy.

For Fulham, it is a setback in their recruitment process. For Slot, it appears to be a calculated choice rather than a reaction to recent events.

Liverpool exit leaves questions over next move
Slot's departure from Liverpool came as a surprise to many observers. Just a year earlier, he had guided the club to the Premier League title and appeared to have established a strong platform for sustained success.

Yet football can move quickly.

Despite securing Champions League qualification through a fifth-place finish, Liverpool ended the campaign without silverware. Significant investment in the transfer market reportedly failed to translate into trophies, with the club spending close to £450 million during the period.

Dutch journalist Marcel van der Kraan suggested that Slot was taken aback by Liverpool's decision to dismiss him. Nevertheless, there is no indication of any lingering resentment towards the club.

That absence of bitterness could prove important as Slot considers his next opportunity. Rather than rushing back into club management, he appears willing to take a more measured approach.

Netherlands opportunity gains momentum
Perhaps the strongest clue about Slot's future emerged through comments from Van der Kraan, who believes international football could appeal to the Dutchman.

Speaking to talkSPORT, he said: "If Ronald Koeman steps down after the World Cup... there is a vacancy at the Dutch national team."

He added: "I think Arne Slot is very, very much up for that; he's probably the ideal candidate."

Van der Kraan continued: "He can play his Dutch style of football – the passing, attacking style, whatever you call it. I think the Dutch would be happy to have him."

Those remarks have inevitably fuelled speculation surrounding the Netherlands job. Slot's reputation remains strong within his homeland, where his work at Feyenoord earned widespread admiration before his move to Liverpool.

A role with the Netherlands would allow him to shape a talented generation of players while remaining closely connected to the footballing principles that have defined his coaching philosophy.

Future plans point beyond immediate Premier League return
By rejecting Fulham, Slot has effectively demonstrated that not every Premier League opportunity will be enough to tempt him back into management.

For a coach who has already experienced both triumph and disappointment at one of England's biggest clubs, patience may be the most valuable asset available. The decision suggests he is looking beyond short-term appointments and focusing instead on a position that aligns with his long-term ambitions.

Whether that leads him to the Netherlands national team, another major European club or an entirely unexpected destination remains to be seen.

What is clear is that Slot is not prepared to rush. Fulham's interest confirms that his standing within the game remains high, but his refusal indicates that he believes a more suitable opportunity lies ahead.

For now, the former Liverpool manager remains on the sidelines, watching and waiting. Given his track record and reputation, it would be a surprise if that wait lasted too long.



https://anfieldindex.com/94813/former-liverpool-boss-turns-down-fulham-amid-netherlands-speculation.html

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Hull City, Wolves, Fulham and Swansea City: Teams That Went Up And Down Super Quick
Promotion, or relegation, isn't something teams experience much.

Some clubs go years without a promotion, such as Newport County and Colchester. For some, bouncing between leagues is the norm, with Rotherham and MK Dons the obvious contenders.

There are some teams who rise like Lazarus and sink like the Titanic, often in quick proximity. We've had teams go from non-league to the Championship in successive seasons, and others fall from the First Division to the Fourth Division in the same timeframe.

As we're on a little bit of a lull, Football Lowdown brings you some of the teams who went through divisions like a dodgy fish curry.

FULHAM
Disgraced tycoon Mohamed Al Fayed arrived at Fulham in May 1997 with a bold promise: he wanted Premier League football within five years. In the end, he needed only four.

The first part of that rise had already been completed. Micky Adams had taken over a club sitting 91st in the Football League and led them out of the fourth tier, but that achievement did not save his job. Al Fayed wanted a more high-profile setup, bringing in Ray Wilkins as head coach, Kevin Keegan as director of football and Paul Peschisolido as part of the new-look squad.

When that structure failed to produce the expected impact, Keegan took full control. Fulham then surged to the title in 1999, finishing with 101 points before Keegan left for the England job, having balanced club and country duties during the closing months of the campaign.

The final push took another change of direction. Paul Bracewell and Karl-Heinz Riedle could not get Fulham over the line the following season, so Al Fayed made another major appointment by turning to Jean Tigana. That did the trick, with another 101-point season carrying Fulham into the Premier League.

HULL CITY
Hull's rise gathered pace once the club moved into the KC Stadium. The new ground gave the Tigers a platform and, in 2003-04, their first full season there, the climb began.

It had been a difficult period before then. Financial problems had left Hull locked out of Boothferry Park in the early 2000s, and crowds were often little more than 6,000. By the time promotion arrived in May 2004, they were playing in front of nearly 18,000 at their new home.

Peter Taylor then delivered another promotion before moving on to Crystal Palace, and Hull continued to build in the Championship. In their third season at that level, Phil Brown's side reached the play-off final, where Dean Windass struck the famous volley that took the club into the Premier League for the first time.

LUTON TOWN
Luton's modern story is one of the wildest in the English game. Relegated from the Football League in 2009 after years of financial trouble and points deductions, the Hatters spent five seasons in non-league before beginning a climb that eventually took them all the way to the Premier League.

Promotion back to the EFL came in 2014, and once they got moving, they barely stopped. Luton went up from League Two in 2018, followed it with another promotion from League One in 2019, then established themselves in the Championship far quicker than many expected. The final step came at Wembley in 2023, when they beat Coventry City on penalties in the play-off final to return to the top flight for the first time in 31 years.

The Premier League proved a step too far, although they stayed in the fight until the final day. Relegation brought expectations of an immediate challenge, but the Championship campaign never settled. Rob Edwards left in January after a run of defeats, Matt Bloomfield arrived too late to fully repair the damage, and a final-day defeat at West Brom confirmed a second straight relegation, sending Luton into League One.



https://footballlowdown.com/hull-city-wolves-fulham-and-swansea-city-teams-that-went-up-and-down-super-quick/