Saturday Fulham Stuff (07/07/12)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham capture Cologne right-back



FULHAM have completed the signing of Cologne defender Sascha Riether on a season-long loan with view to a permanent deal.

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The Whites are short of cover at right-back, with Stephen Kelly and Zdenek Grygera both out of contract.

But boss Martin Jol has swooped to fill the void by snapping up Riether on loan.

The 29-year-old started his career with SC Freiburg before moving to VfL Wolfsburg in 2007.

Riether spent four seasons with the Bundesliga outfit, making 116 appearances, including the Europa League quarter-final defeat against Fulham in 2010.

The German international joined Cologne that summer, but has now been given the green light to make the switch to Craven Cottage.



Read More http://www.fulhamchronicle.co.uk/fulham-fc/2012/07/06/82029-31340309/?#ixzz1zu8E0dPQ

[WhiteJC]

 
Lewington Announcement

Ray Lewington has today signed a four-year contract with The Football Association as a Coach to Roy Hodgson's England Senior Men's team.

The new full-time FA contract will see Lewington working with Hodgson in the build-up to the Brazil 2014 World Cup and France 2016 European Championship campaigns. This follows his work during Euro 2012 with England's coaching staff, including fellow Coach Gary Neville - who is also on a four-year FA deal.

The 55 year-old former midfielder recorded 407 League appearances with Chelsea, Wimbledon, two spells at Fulham and Sheffield United. He has managed Fulham, Brentford and Watford, coached at Crystal Palace and served Fulham FC in various capacities since re-joining them as Head of Coaching in 2005.

Ray Lewington said: "I'm delighted to be joining Roy's England coaching staff permanently. I really enjoyed the experience at the Euros this summer and am looking forward to spending more time with the squad as we look to qualify for the World Cup in Brazil.

"I would like to thank everyone at Fulham Football Club for such a wonderful time since I joined as a player in 1980. I have been Coach, Manager and Assistant Manager during my time here and this is a very special Club full of great people dedicated to taking it forward.

"Being offered a full-time position at Team England alongside Roy Hodgson is a fantastic opportunity for me and one that I simply couldn't turn down. I'm excited at the prospect of being part of a special group of players and backroom staff, who will do their very best to make the nation proud.

"I would like to thank the Chairman, Mohamed Al Fayed, in particular for his support on a personal level, and for all he has done for Fulham FC since he purchased the Club in 1997. The past 15 years have been extraordinary under his stewardship. His vision and commitment, both financially and through his enthusiasm, has been incredible. I'm grateful that he has allowed me to take on a position with the England team and I'm honoured to have had him as my Chairman.

"Finally but by no means least, I would like to thank the wonderful Fulham supporters who have always been so good to me, for all their words of support through the summer with England and all of their support throughout the years. I wish all of them and the Club the very best for the season and the future and will continue to look out for the team."

FA Chairman David Bernstein said:

"The FA would like to thank Fulham for their cooperation in Ray's appointment to the England coaching set-up. I am personally very pleased to have Ray with us full-time as we look to build on the foundations laid at Euro 2012.

"We have important games coming up soon: the August fixture sees England facing Italy again before the World Cup Qualifiers start in earnest with Moldova and Ukraine during September then San Marino and Poland in October. Ray will be playing a key role as we approach these matches."

Fulham Football Club would like to thank Ray Lewington for his services over a period spanning 32 years at the Club and wishes him all the very best for the future with the England team.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2012/July/LewingtonAnnouncement.aspx?

[WhiteJC]

 
Would Riether Be At The Cottage: Fulham Loan German Right Back


This is just a flat out awesome picture.

Köln/Cologne right-back Sascha Riether has signed a season-long loan deal with Fulham, with an option to buy at the end of the season.  He was quoted with the following coach-speak drivel that I am obligated to give you because the official website deems it relevant when in reality it's probably recycled for every single signing:

"I feel very pleased to have signed. It feels like I've had a long break from football and for me this is a new experience in a new country. Fulham is a good club, a big club with a big tradition and for me it's great to be here. I played here one time with Wolfsburg and I remember Craven Cottage being a great stadium with great fans, and I hope I can go on to have a great season here."

That means nothing. What does mean something is that Riether fills an immediate need for Fulham, as reportedly Martin Jol made a few attempts at a number of right backs before selecting the 29 year old German.


Sascha Riether poses with his new jersey!

Riether played for Wolfsburg during Fulham's Europa League run under Roy Hodgson, making him the fourth player who faced Fulham in the that run to be brought to Craven Cottage in the last year, following John Arne Riise (Roma), Zdenek Grygera (Juventus) and Mladen Petric (Hamburg). Hey, if you can't beat em, join em!

After four seasons at Wolfsburg, in which he won the Bundesliga in 08/09 and qualified for the next year's Champions League, he went to Cologne, who were relegated last season.  He's also been capped for the German national team twice, plus 20 appearances for the U21 team a while ago.

Although he's talked about as a right-back, he's also proficient as a defensive midfielder, where he played with Wolfsburg.  This is another position of need for Fulham, so you may see Riether move around to some different locations depending on other signings later in the window.

While Riether isn't exactly the perfect target in terms of getting younger, at 29 he's not old by any means, and certainly could provide Fulham with at least a year, if not more, of solid right-back play at a position desperately needed.



http://fulhamsfinest.com/2012/07/06/would-riether-be-at-the-cottage-fulham-loan-german-right-back/?