Well Done Cheick Toure - Another From The Famous Fulham Production Line

[White Noise]

Toure's Toulon Triumph


Friday 4th June 2010

Fulham FC News

Footballing history was made recently when Ivory Coast won the prestigious Toulon Under-21 Tournament. Cheick Toure, Fulham's young central defender, was part of the victorious squad and even collected an award for being the youngest player taking part in the Final, aged just 17 years old.

The Elephants secured the trophy against the odds and, as Toure explained to fulhamfc.com, their team spirit more than made up for a less than ideal preparation.

"In the beginning it was hard to see us winning the tournament because it was the first call-up for all of the players," Toure told fulhamfc.com. "We had never played together before. We had one week together and played one friendly, compared to a team like France who played maybe three or five friendly games and they play together all of the time.

"I was injured at the start of the tournament so I didn't play in the first and second games; I played in the third game against France - we lost 2-1, after that we had the semi-final which I didn't play in. I came on as a substitute in the final. I injured my foot in the friendly game against Marseille before the tournament and when I recovered it was not easy to get into a winning team.

"In the beginning it was hard but we all gave 100%. We were strong-minded and that's why we won the tournament."

The Ivory Coast qualified from a group containing France, Colombia and Japan.  They secured their place in the final by beating tournament favourites Chile and went on to record an impressive win over Denmark, who had knocked out the hotly-tipped French in the other semi-final.

"Everyone was thinking Ivory Coast won't win the tournament but because we were strong minded we were thinking like a team," said Toure. "In the coach before games we were singing African songs, it was like a family. We were playing like a family.

Training1"The lesson I learned from Toulon is when you play football, don't think about who you are playing against, just think about what you have to do. Think about your job, don't think about the man. If you think 'I'm going to play against Rooney or Ronaldo' you will get scared. You have to brave and strong, that's why I like English football."

Toure has developed well since joined Fulham's Academy last year and graduated to Billy McKinlay's Reserve side following impressive performances at youth level. Initially he was a central midfielder by trade, but after having been switched to a central defender his game has further improved. 

"I was playing in central midfield but Gary Brazil said to me that I can play at centre back," Toure explained. "In the beginning I didn't like it but now I prefer playing centre back and I don't want to play in midfield anymore.

"Billy McKinlay's training sessions are hard; he's a very tough man. But he's tough because he wants to help me. I want to stay in England because it's the best league, I like England and I like English football, if you can play in England you can play anywhere. I want to stay at Fulham it's a nice club and I want to improve which is why I like Fulham.

"I like winning tackles, winning headers. In the beginning it was difficult because I couldn't speak English, I didn't know what I had to do and I was sitting on the bench. I said to Lee [Hagger, Academy Manager], 'I need to start speaking English, I need to improve my English'. When I started my lessons everything started getting better. I could understand everything, even Billy's accent. 


Read more: http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2010/June/TouresToulonTriumph.aspx#ixzz0pv49I4Sx

[LRCN]

don't underestimate how big this is, this guy promises to be very very good.

[Edwatch_Winston_Malone]

The famous Fulham production line that includes the likes of...

[Steve_orino]

The famous Fulham production line that includes the likes of...

Mr. Malone, it looks like your pen ran out of ink...

[CorkedHat]

I'm bored - his name is an anagram of Checkout Ire. I told you I was bored

[HatterDon]

I'm bored - his name is an anagram of Checkout Ire. I told you I was bored

Instead of doing anagrams, you could have been watching Clint and Co dismantling Tha Socceroooooos!

[Mr Fulham]

The famous Fulham production line that includes the likes of...

Thomas Moncur, Gabriel Zakuani and Elliott Omozusi!

[Edwatch_Winston_Malone]

and Zesh Rehman

[CorkedHat]

I'm bored - his name is an anagram of Checkout Ire. I told you I was bored

Instead of doing anagrams, you could have been watching Clint and Co dismantling Tha Socceroooooos!

Unlike you Mr Don I am an impoverished writer who cannot afford the exorbitant fees charged by the Cable Channel that has exclusive rights to this mickey mouse match.
Besides when it comes to football I am defiantly English and I have no desire to watch a bunch of colonials, the vast majority of which weren't even born in the countries they represent, pretending that they know what their doing  :026:

[CorkedHat]

and Zesh Rehman

Johnny Haynes. Alan Mullery, George Cohen, Tosh Chamberlain. John Dempsey, John Lacey, Bobby Robson, Bedford Jezzard,

[Mr Fulham]

and Zesh Rehman

Johnny Haynes. Alan Mullery, George Cohen, Tosh Chamberlain. John Dempsey, John Lacey, Bobby Robson, Bedford Jezzard,

Looong, long time ago....I can still remember! :048:

[CorkedHat]

and Zesh Rehman

Johnny Haynes. Alan Mullery, George Cohen, Tosh Chamberlain. John Dempsey, John Lacey, Bobby Robson, Bedford Jezzard,

Looong, long time ago....I can still remember! :048:

The old SE Counties League produced a lot of talent Mr F

[Edwatch_Winston_Malone]

lloks like th eproduction line stalled in 1974...

[CorkedHat]

lloks like th eproduction line stalled in 1974...

More like 1954 if we are truthful, Mr Malone :019:

[HatterDon]

I just read an article about Ray Lewington in a Fultime from early season just past [thanks again, Silver Fox]. He told about how when he took over as manager, Fulham had just gotten rid of their youth academy as well as most of their reserves. Evidently, he had to get his good friend Ray Wilkins [then with Milan], to intercede with his shoe sponsor or else Fulham would have had exactly ZERO soccer boots to kit out their team. Evidently the team was so far in debt to every creditor within earshot that nobody would give the team anything except for cash.

I'm pointing this out because it does indicate how a youth system that supplied so many stalwarts to the first team hasn't done much of anything since the mid-70s or so. Instead of cursing our developmental system, I think I'm going to thank the good lord for MAF. Only HE knows where we'd be without Chairman Mo.