Wednesday Fulham Stuff (07/05/14)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham cut losses with a summer clear-out


Exit: Scott Parker is one of several high profile stars on his way out at Fulham

Fulham have already started planning for an immediate return to the Premier League with owner Shahid Khan poised to oversee a summer of reconstruction at Craven Cottage.

Felix Magath insists he has the appetite for the slog of a promotion campaign in the Championship. But Khan must first make a decision on his manager's future before starting the process of rebuilding an underperforming squad for next season.

It will be interesting to see how many of the players that started this campaign at Craven Cottage will still be there when the Championship kicks off on August 9.

David Stockdale has become first-choice goalkeeper in recent weeks and were Magath to stick with the Englishman it would appear hard to envisage Holland international Maarten Stekelenburg remaining with the club as a No2 tier in the second tier.

Questions also hang over the futures of players such as Scott Parker, Alexander Kacaniklic and Fernando Amorebieta, Kieran Richardson, Sascha Riether, Pajtim Kasami and Ashkan Dejagah.

John Heitinga, Giorgos Karagounis, Mahamadou Diarra, John Arne Riise and Damien Duff are all out of contract. Lewis Holtby will return to Tottenham and Darren Bent will go back to Aston Villa.

As for Kostas Mitroglou, Fulham are set to make a loss on the £12million spent on their club-record signing as they face up to the financial impact of relegation.

On a more positive note, young defender Dan Burn has shown signs of promise and will be given more opportunities. Fulham will also try to persuade Brede Hangeland and Steve Sidwell to stay and form an experienced core of a side ready to challenge for promotion. Hugo Rodallega will provide goals if he can be convinced to drop into the Championship.

Magath was at Stamford Bridge last night to watch Fulham narrowly lose in the FA Youth Cup Final and the long-term future looks bright.

A crop of bright prospects from the club's academy, including Patrick Roberts and Moussa Dembele, are likely to  become first-team regulars. Magath may even be tempted to play a few of them against Crystal Palace on Sunday.

Fulham will certainly take inspiration from the way Southampton used relegation to bring through a crop of youngsters and build the foundations of the club's current success. But as Queens Park Rangers have shown this season, a speedy return to the Premier League is not guaranteed. Of the 30 teams relegated to the Championship in the last 10 years, only four have been promoted at the first attempt.

Stockdale, who experienced a promotion campaign on loan at Hull last season, said: "Teams want to prove themselves against sides coming down from the Premier League so it will be hard next year. You need hard work, dedication and players who are willing to go through a brick wall for the club. Maybe not enough players were willing to do that this season.

"We should have had enough to stay in the Premier League but we now need to build a team to get us back up. Whoever is around, everyone needs to be pulling in the same direction."


http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/fulham-cut-losses-with-a-summer-clearout-9325894.html

[WhiteJC]

 
Statement From The Manager

Dear Fans,

We as a team, and I include myself and management, would like to apologise for our bad performance on Saturday. It certainly was not what you as fans were expecting and should rightfully demand of us, but we were unable to perform on the day, resulting in our downfall.

The support that you have given us has been exceptional and is much appreciated. I do realise that you have been through difficult times this season, but you have continued to be our ever faithful 12th man and I cannot praise and thank you enough.

I was appointed by Mr Khan in February, and willingly signed a contract for 18 months, realising that there was a distinct possibility that we would not survive in the Premier League. Contrary to many opinions, I was not only brought in until the end of the season, with the primary target of keeping Fulham in the Premier League, but to build a team that can compete in the top flight.

The reality is that we have been relegated, but my commitment and desire to Fulham remains.

In the short space of time that I have spent here, I have been very impressed with so many aspects of our Football Club, and with this in mind, my one priority is to give Premier League football back to you.

During the summer months, there most certainly will be many changes within the Club, we obviously need to improve and redefine our playing staff. We have in our Academy team, talented, young and hungry players. I have experienced on many occasions, through working and developing youth team players, that they have the possibility to become top professionals, I name for example Philipp Lahm from Bayern Munich. Bearing this in mind and making additions to our squad, I feel very optimistic for the future.

On Sunday we play our final game of this season against Crystal Palace, and we owe it to you to put on a good performance that is worthy of your fantastic support.

I am looking forward to the task ahead and to a successful future for all of us.

Thank you.

Felix.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2014/may/06/statement-from-the-manager?

[WhiteJC]

 
Brede Hangeland bemoans unrecognisable Fulham after 'terrible' campaign

Brede Hangeland admits the writing was on the wall for Fulham's relegation from the Premier League.

The Whites captain is the sole survivor from the side that went all the way to the Europa League final under Roy Hodgson in 2010.

Fulham have flirted with the drop for the past couple of seasons, and Hangeland has offered a brutal assessment of a 'terrible' campaign.

He said: "It's about four years ago since I played in a European Cup final and, if I'm honest, I don't recognise anything from what we did back then, which was probably the best Fulham team of all time.

"It's changed drastically; I'm the only player left, the style of play and how we did things. It worked really well for us then and I don't really know why we changed away from that.

"I think we had a really good style of play, work ethic and right values, and I don't see much of that at the moment, unfortunately."

Fulham's relegation to the Championship was confirmed on Saturday following a heavy defeat at Stoke, coupled with Sunderland's shock win at Manchester United.

Hangeland, who still has a year remaining on his contract, admits the Cottagers have been on a downward spiral for some time.

"It's very sad," he added. "It's been a terrible, terrible season and has ended in the worst possible way. It's definitely the lowest point of my football career.

"If I'm honest I had fears ahead of this season. There's been some warning signs that we are moving in the wrong direction, but unfortunately we couldn't avoid relegation.

"There's many things that have gone wrong. The players haven't performed as well as we should have. There's been a few mistakes around the place in the last few years and we've paid the price for that.

"It's not for me to point fingers. Everyone associated with the club, I'll be the first to hold my hands up that we haven't done a good enough job."


http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/brede-hangeland-bemoans-unrecognisable-fulham-7074467?

[WhiteJC]

 
Absolutely Gutted

A crestfallen Liam Donnelly voiced his pain after Fulham Under-18s suffered a late defeat in the 2014 FA Youth Cup Final.

An eventful two-legged tie looked to be heading for extra-time on Monday with the aggregate score level at 6-6, but Chelsea striker Dominic Solanke fired home his second goal of the evening in stoppage time to leave the Whites heartbroken.

With just 14 minutes to play, Steve Wigley's side had held a two-goal cushion but a late rally from the hosts at Stamford Bridge saw them hit back with three strikes of their own, culminating in Solanke's finish.

"It was absolutely gutting at the end of the game," Donnelly told fulhamfc.com. "We'd come so far and done so well – first of all to get to the Final and then to take a lead into the Second Leg, and to be two goals up on the night as well.

"It's so disappointing for all of us that we didn't go on and win it. At the end you could see how deflating it was for everyone – everyone was absolutely gutted.

"It was a mad game. I don't think many of us will ever play in a match like that again, it was just disappointing to come out on the wrong side.

"It's a great achievement for us to get as far as we did, especially when it's the first time that the Club's ever got to an FA Youth Cup Final. But obviously we're still gutted as we would have liked to have gone on and won it."

One major bugbear regarding the manner of the defeat was that Solanke was in an offside position when he collected Charlie Colkett's pass in the 92nd minute.

"It does make it frustrating," Donnelly admitted regarding the winning goal. "You can't point fingers at anyone now but it is disappointing when you see that basically his full body was offside, and obviously in the Final you'd like those decisions to go your way."

Anyone who has seen the Under-18s' games this season or has witnessed an interview with the Northern Ireland youth international will have noticed a maturity that belies his young age.

He only turned 18 two months ago and the way he presents himself has seen him don the captain's armband with distinction this term. Naturally, leading his side to an historic first FA Youth Cup Final was a source of great satisfaction for him.

"I'm very proud," he admitted. "We've done very well all season; we've beaten the likes of Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City on the way, and obviously in the Semi Finals we had a very tough tie over both legs and we did very well to get through that. Then in the Final we can be extremely proud of ourselves, we've got nothing to be ashamed of.

"We've got an amazing team. It's a great bunch of lads, a great bunch of players and it's a pleasure to have been captain of that group. It's been a great honour to lead them out all season, especially into a Youth Cup Final. A lot of them will go on to have very good careers."

Fulham were roared on by more than 2,000 away supporters at Stamford Bridge on Monday night – something that certainly didn't go unnoticed by an extremely grateful Donnelly.

"The fans were unbelievable," he stated. "They have been the whole way through but last night especially they were absolutely amazing.

"They out-sang the Chelsea fans and we heard them through the whole game, right from even before kick-off. They were amazing and I'd like to thank them on behalf of all the players."



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2014/may/06/absolutely-gutted?

[WhiteJC]

 
Season Tickets Now On General Sale

Season Ticket seats yet to be renewed for the 2014/15 campaign have now become available for all supporters to buy.

All seats have been released for General Sale, meaning all Whites supporters now have the opportunity to secure their place at Craven Cottage for the new season, with prices from just £299 adults and £99 juniors.

Buy yours online at fulhamfc.com/seasontickets or by calling the Ticket Office on 0843 208 1234 (option 3) between 9am and 5pm, Monday - Friday.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2014/may/06/season-tickets-now-on-general-sale?

[WhiteJC]

 
Transfer news: Goalkeeper David Stockdale vows to remain at relegated Fulham


David Stockdale: Still has a year to run on his current contract

Goalkeeper David Stockdale has vowed to stay at Fulham and help return the club to the Premier League.

The 28-year-old has been able to keep Holland international Maarten Stekelenburg on the sidelines over recent weeks, with boss Felix Magath putting his faith in a man who has almost doubled his number of top flight outings in the space of one season.

It has been suggested that Stockdale is among those capable of making an immediate step back up the league ladder when the transfer re-opens this summer.

He is, however, prepared to honour his contract at Craven Cottage and lead a Sky Bet Championship promotion push in 2014/15.

He said in the Fulham Chronicle: "I've got a year left on my contract, so I'll be fighting for promotion if the club wants to keep me."

Should Stockdale remain in west London, he will add vital second tier experience to the Fulham ranks having previously spent time on loan at that level with Leicester City, Plymouth Argyle, Ipswich Town and Hull City.

He added: "I was there last year with Hull.

"You need hard work, dedication to the cause and players who are willing to go through a brick wall for the club. I'll put my hands up and say, 'I'm one of them'.

"I'll do everything for the club who gave me a chance. Whoever is around the club needs to pull in the same direction.

"It's hard to go to any team on a Tuesday night in the Championship. That's when you see characters come through in a side.

"We should have had enough to stay in the Premier League. We need to build a team to get us back up."


http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11681/9299863?

[WhiteJC]

 
Al-Fayed`s Views on Current Fulham Issues!
   
As somebody who could never understand why we had a statue of Michael Jackson outside Craven Cottage, I`m glad it has been gotten rid of.

Today that damn statue was unveiled as an exhibit at the National Football Museum in Manchester, where it will be an exhibit.

Mohamed al-Fayed, who was responsible for the statue being outside Craven Cottage has had a few things to say about the club he owned until not that long ago.

Al-Fayed, as outspoken as ever, believes that Felix Magath is not the man for the job, he also reckons he`d buy Fulham back for half price and warned the present owner, Shahid Khan, that he would regret getting rid of the luck statue of Michael Jackson.

I`d suggest that following last Saturday they couldn`t get any worse!


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=358324#ixzz30xfimRYl

[WhiteJC]

 
Mohamed Al Fayed believes Fulham owner Shahid Khan has not spent enough


Shahid Khan: Became Fulham's owner last summer

Mohamed Al Fayed insists Fulham's relegation should be a wake-up call for current owner Shahid Khan.

Fulham's 14-year stay in the Premier League came to an end last Saturday as a 4-1 defeat at Stoke sent the Cottagers into the Championship.

Al Fayed was Fulham's owner for 16 years before he sold the club to Khan last summer and he has suggested his successor did not spend enough on the squad, despite the arrival of £12m striker Kostas Mitroglou in January.

Manager Felix Magath, the third man at the helm during a turbulent season, wants to oversee the rebuilding process and Al Fayed has urged Khan to make more transfer funds available in the summer.

"I hope he has woken up now," Al Fayed told Sky Sports News. "He's a capable guy, he's a rich man, he owns another football club in the United States and understands about the game and about sport.

"You had to spend money to really reach, as I have done, from the Third Division to the Premier League.

"15 years is a lot of effort. I feel sorry, but I had to make a decision, because I'm not a young man any more. I have so many grandchildren who I have to spend time with and I feel the guy has woken up anyhow."

Magath had overseen some encouraging recent results, but was unable to save a side which had also struggled under predecessors Rene Meulensteen and Martin Jol.

When asked if he sympathised with the fans, Al Fayed said: "Of course, it was my life for nearly 20 years.

"They love the club, they love what I'm doing and I feel sorry for them, but I hope the guy has woken up and just really gets on and tries to inject more talent and more money to bring the club back."

Al Fayed presented the statue of late singer Michael Jackson to the National Football Museum in Manchester after it was removed from Craven Cottage.



http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11661/9300018?

[WhiteJC]

 
Relegated Fulham eye Arsenal striker

Fulham will hope to tempt Nicklas Bendtner with a move to Craven Cottage this summer, [football] direct news understands.

Felix Magath's side suffered relegation with a 4-1 defeat to Stoke City at the weekend, bringing an end to their thirteen-year stay in the Premier League, and they are now preparing a list of targets for life in the Championship next season.

Bendtner would appear to be high on their list, as the Cottagers will almost certainly need to bring in some new faces upfront as big names such as Dimitar Berbatov and Kostas Mitroglou seem unlikely to stick around in the second tier of English football.

The 26-year-old will also be available on a free transfer at the end of this season, and is sure to be heading for the Emirates Stadium exit after being frozen out by manager Arsene Wenger in recent seasons.

The trouble Denmark international has spent time out on loan with Sunderland and Juventus, failing to impress at either club, but Fulham are keen to bring in a recognised and experienced front-man to help them win promotion again next season.

It remains to be seen if Bendtner himself will accept an offer from the newly-relegated side, as he will hope to attract interest from Premier League teams, having been linked with the likes of Stoke City, Crystal Palace and Hull City last summer.


http://www.footballdirectnews.com/premier-league-news/48577-relegated-fulham-eye-arsenal-striker.php