Thursday Fulham Stuff (19/06/14)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Mitroglou Loan Bid
   
With the wage bill set to be trimmed dramatically as we cut our cloth for life in the Championship, could our very expensive January transfer window signing be heading for the exit?

Kostas Mitroglou, since arriving from Olympiakos, has, to be blunt, performed disappointingly and the buzz on the streets is that the Greek international, currently on World Cup duty in Brazil, is set to be off-loaded.

The latest we`re hearing is that the Turkish club, Besiktas, has enquired about taking the 26 year-old striker on a season long loan.

Now whether those behind the scenes at Craven Cottage will decide to park Mitroglou for a season and then see where the club is this time next year, or whether they`ll seek almost instant recompense in the form of a sale to an as yet unnamed club remains to be seen!


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=361403#ixzz350yic9Nf

[WhiteJC]

 
Fixtures Announcement

The 2014/15 Sky Bet Championship fixtures were released on Wednesday morning and Fulham's campaign will kick-off away to Ipswich Town on Saturday 9th August.

Our first game at Craven Cottage is a London derby, with Millwall making the journey west across the capital a week later, while the season concludes at Norwich City's Carrow Road on Saturday 2nd May.

The new season will also renew our local rivalry with nearby Brentford, and we face the Bees at Griffin Park on Saturday 22nd November, before hosting them on Saturday 4th April.

Make sure you have your Season Ticket to ensure you see all 23 league games at Craven Cottage in the coming season, along with priority access to all away games. Prices start from just £299 for adults and £99 for juniors.

Ticketing information for each fixture will be released on fulhamfc.com in due course.

Fixtures are subject to change.


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2014/june/18/fixtures-announcement?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fixtures: Fulham away to Ipswich in live Championship opener before hosting Millwall

Fulham will begin their 2014/15 Sky Bet Championship campaign at Ipswich before then hosting Millwall at Craven Cottage.

The opening fixture of the new season will be shown live on Sky Sports, kicking off at 5.15pm on Saturday 9 August.

It will be Fulham's first trip to Portman Road since a top-flight encounter in January 2002, when Marcus Bent's solitary goal settled the affair in Town's favour.

The following weekend, Felix Magath's Cottagers will take on Millwall in a London derby.

Fulham will also host Wolves and Cardiff in August, with a trip to take on Derby sandwiched in between those games.

Over the festive period, Fulham will travel to Bournemouth on Boxing Day, and then host Brighton at the Cottage two days later.

The Cottagers' 2014/15 campaign will end away to Norwich on Saturday 2 May.

Opening three games:

August 9 - Ipswich (a)
August 16 - Millwall (h)
August 20 - Wolves (h)


http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11095/9352803/fixtures-fulham-away-to-ipswich-in-championship-opener-before-hosting-millwall?

[WhiteJC]

 
Brentford 2014/15 fixtures: Charlton first with Fulham away at Easter

Brentford start life back in the Sky Bet Championship with a home game against Charlton Athletic on August 9.

The Bees then travel to Bournemouth the following week before a Tuesday night trip to Blackpool.

The eagerly anticipated west London derby against Fulham takes place on Saturday November 22 at Griffin Park with the trip to Craven Cottage on Easter Saturday April 4.

The Bees host Ipswich on Boxing Day while they close their season against Uwe Rosler's Wigan on May 2.



http://www.london24.com/sport/football/clubs/brentford/brentford_2014_15_fixtures_charlton_first_with_fulham_away_at_easter_1_3646868

[WhiteJC]

 
Ipswich Game Televised

Fulham's opening game of the 2014/15 Sky Bet Championship campaign against Ipswich Town will now kick-off at the later time of 5.15pm.

The Portman Road fixture on Saturday 9th August has been selected for live television coverage on Sky Sports.

Ticket information for our meeting with the Tractor Boys will be released on fulhamfc.com in due course.

Have a read of the full fixture list for Fulham's 2014/15 Championship season.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2014/june/18/ipswich-game-televised?

[WhiteJC]

 
Gillingham sign former Manchester United trainee

Gillingham manager Peter Taylor has made his fifth signing of the summer, with former Manchester United trainee Josh Pritchard moving to Priestfield.

The 21-year-old midfielder joins the Gills on a two-year contract after spending five years at Championship side Fulham.

He began his career at Old Trafford and moved to Craven Cottage following his release in the summer of 2009.

In the 2012-13 season he was loaned to Norwegian Club Tromsø, where he made 25 appearances before returning to Fulham last season; he made a further three appearances at Craven Cottage.

Later in the season he joined Finnish club FC Honka, where he made five appearances and scored once.

He played several times for Fulham's Under-21s and has earned four caps for the Welsh Under-21s, his most recent game being against England, who won 3-1.

The signing of Pritchard follows that of Doug Loft, Jermaine McGlashan, Aaron Morris and Glenn Morris.

Taylor told the club website: "He's been at two very good football clubs for quite a while. He's a very good passing midfield player that can play defensive as well.

"He's very highly recommended from people I know and trust – he's not known over here because he hasn't played much football, but he knows it's time for him to get playing league football.

"I think he sees the opportunity from us as a good one."


http://www.kentnews.co.uk/sport/gillingham_sign_former_manchester_united_trainee_1_3647201?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham goalkeeper Stekelenburg is offered to Sevilla

Fulham goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg has been offered to Sevilla for next season, according to reports in the Spanish press.

The Spanish side are understood to be keen on signing a new keeper ahead of the new season and the Dutch international could be available on a free transfer following Fulham's relegation from the Premier League.

The 31-year-old only joined the West London side last summer from Italian club Roma for an undisclosed fee, which is believed to be around £4.5m and signed a four-year contract with the Craven Cottage club.

He only made 19 appearances for Fulham after his season was disrupted by injury.

Stekelenburg started his career in his native Netherlands at Ajax where he progressed through the famous academy to make his debut in February 2002. He spent nine years at the Dutch giants, making 191 appearances.

The goalkeeper enjoyed two seasons at Roma before leaving for Fulham.

He has 54 caps for the Netherlands having being in the Dutch squads at World Cup 2006, Euro 2008, World Cup 2012 and Euro 2012.


http://footballleagueworld.co.uk/fulham-goalkeeper-stekelenburg-is-offered-to-sevilla804/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Besiktas want Fulham striker Kostas Mitroglou

Turkish giants Besiktas want to take Fulham striker Kostas Mitroglou on loan – then buy him outright if all goes well, reports Get West London.

It has not been the best of times for the Greek striker at Craven Cottage. The Greece international joined Fulham for a record £12 million from Olympiakos in January but suffered from injury and made just three appearances.

He is currently in the Greece squad at the World Cup in Brazil and came off the bench in a 3-0 defeat to Columbia.

Fulham are understood to want the money back they paid Olympiakos but may be willing to reach a compromise over his £40,000-a-week wages.

Mitroglou has refused to comment on his future at Craven Cottage saying he is concentrating on playing for Greece at the World Cup.



http://footballleagueworld.co.uk/besiktas-want-fulham-striker-kostas-mitroglou503/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fixtures Dissected

Following the announcement of the fixture lists on Wednesday morning, Fulham fans can now begin to plan their matchdays for the 2014/15 season.

Fixture list in full
For the first time in our history we kick off a league campaign against Ipswich Town. The Whites enjoyed a memorable 10-1 victory over the Suffolk outfit back in 1963, but we haven't been able to defeat them in nine meetings since. The opening day could see former Tractor Boy David Stockdale return to Portman Road, where he made 18 appearances on loan in 2011.

With Fulham not entering the Capital One Cup until the Second Round, we're next in action a week later when Millwall make the short journey across London to Craven Cottage for a fixture that hasn't been played in 15 years. The home side emerged victorious that day, with Kevin Betsy, Barry Hayles, Kit Symons and Steve Finnan all on target in a 4-1 win.

A trip to Derby County then follows our midweek game at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers, before we attempt to do what we couldn't last season – get a result against Cardiff City – on 30th August.

September sees Fulham take to the road three times, with two of the fixtures pitting us against some familiar faces. Former Under-18 boss Steve Wigley is now assisting Stuart Pearce at Nottingham Forest, while our trip to St Andrew's sees Lee Clark face the Whites for the first time as a manager.


We begin October with a midweek clash against Bolton Wanderers at the Cottage. We're unbeaten in 10 league meetings with the Trotters, and actually won more points against them than we did versus any other side during our time in the Premier League.

There could have been an additional London derby later in the month had Leyton Orient not squandered their 2-0 lead in the League One Play-Off Final. But, in their place, Rotherham United went up and so face the Whites for the first time since 1994.

Our next three opponents have all met Fulham in the Premier League, as home ties against Charlton Athletic and Blackpool sandwich a trip to Wigan Athletic, before we take on Huddersfield Town for the first time since that famous game in April 2001 when promotion to the top flight was confirmed.

The subsequent match is one that supporters of both teams will no doubt have been eagerly scanning the fixture list for, as West London rivals Fulham and Brentford do battle for the first time in 16 years. We're unbeaten in our last five meetings with the Bees, and we'll be keen to hold on to the local bragging rights after our clash at Griffin Park on 22nd November.

A first-ever trip to Brighton & Hove Albion's Amex Stadium follows a week later, with games against Watford, Leeds United and Sheffield Wednesday taking us through until Christmas.


We visit the south-coast on Boxing Day when we meet AFC Bournemouth for the first time since 1998/99 when the Cherries were the only side not to be beaten by Fulham in our blistering title-winning campaign.

Another seaside outfit provide our final opposition of 2014 as Brighton make the journey to London and, with no game on 1st January, our inaugural match of the New Year will be the FA Cup Third Round on the first Saturday of the month.

The remainder of January pits us against four sides who will all harbour ambitions of challenging for at least a Play-Off place at the end of the season, as we take on Cardiff, Reading, Forest and Blackburn Rovers.

Valentine's Day kicks off a run of four games that mirrors our start to the season as we play our reverse fixtures with Ipswich, Millwall, Wolves and Derby.

Our first game in March comes on a Tuesday evening when we face Watford at Vicarage Road. It was a classic encounter the last time the two sides met in Hertfordshire, as Fulham came from two goals down to lead 3-2 in the closing stages, only for a 21-year-old Ashley Young to pop up with a late equaliser.

Bournemouth then visit the Cottage, before we have three consecutive games against Yorkshire opposition; away at Sheffield Wednesday and Huddersfield, either side of a home tie with Leeds.


The Easter weekend throws up two London derbies in three days with the visit of Brentford followed by a trip to The Valley to face Charlton.

Wigan are the next opponents in SW6 on 11th April as Uwe Rosler goes about trying to end a barren run which has seen the Latics fail to beat Fulham in 13 attempts.

Rotherham make it back-to-back home games for the Whites, before we journey to the coast hoping the weather has improved in time for our game against Blackpool at Bloomfield Road on 18th April.

Our final home game of the campaign sees Middlesbrough make the 250-mile journey south. We faced Boro on the final day of the 2005/06 season, when a late penalty from Heidar Helguson secured a 1-0 victory in a game that was something of a dead rubber for both sides.

The curtain comes down on our 2014/15 Championship season with another fixture that Fulham have taken much joy from in recent years. The Whites beat Norwich City three times last season and will hope to secure another result on the final day to potentially extend their unbeaten run to an 18th game.

Make sure you have your Season Ticket to ensure you see all 23 league games at Craven Cottage in the coming season, along with priority access to all away games. Prices start from just £299 for adults and £99 for juniors.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2014/june/18/fixtures-dissected?

[WhiteJC]

 
Brentford to renew rivalries with Fulham after 16-year wait

Cottagers come to visit Griffin Park on November 22 before return game on April 4


Full blooded: Sam Saunders stops Paul Konchesky in his tracks back in 2010

Brentford and Fulham will lock horns for the first time in 16 years in the Championship this season.

The Bees won promotion from League One last term to seal a spot in the second tier after a 22-year absence, while the Cottagers' drop out of the Premier League for the first time since 2001.

Brentford host Felix Magath's men on November 22, before making the short trip to SW6 for the return fixture on April 4.


Renewing rivalries: Fulham and Brentford will lock horns again

The last competitive meeting between the sides came in the old Division Two in 1997/98 when Fulham won 2-0 at Griffin Park after a 1-1 stalemate earlier in the campaign.

Fulham also claimed bragging rights four years earlier, triumphing 2-1 on the road following a goalless draw at home on New Year's Day.

However, the Bees were victorious when the sides clashed twice in 1992/93, winning 2-0 in both legs as they crushed their rivals to advance in the League Cup.

Brentford's last league victory came the previous year in their promotion-winning campaign when they did the double over the Whites.

The clubs have met more recently, with Fulham running out resounding 5-0 winners in Kevin O'Connor's testimonial in 2010.


http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/brentford-renew-rivalries-fulham-after-7289174?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham line up move for Australia striker Adam Taggart as Maarten Stekelenburg and Kostas Mitroglou edge closer to exit
Adam Taggart is understood to have had medical tests already ahead of a move to Fulham
The young striker plays for Newcastle Jets and is expected to sign for Fulham after the World Cup

Fulham are in talks with Australia striker Adam Taggart over a £180,000 deal.

The 21-year-old, who plays for Newcastle Jets alongside Emile Heskey, is understood to have had medical tests already while in Brazil and is poised to agree terms and sign after the World Cup.

Taggart smashed 16 goals in the Australian A-League last season to force his way into Ange Postecoglou's final 23-man squad.


London bound: Australia's Adam Taggart is in talks over a move to Fulham

On his way? Maarten Stekelenburg has been linked with a loan move to Sevilla

The highly-rated hotshot appeared as a late substitute in the Socceroos' 3-2 defeat to Holland on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Fulham keeper Maarten Stekelenburg, who ended the season as second-choice behind David Stockdale, is a loan target for Sevilla

Greece international Kostas Mitroglou, a £12m January switch from Olympiacos, is wanted on loan by Besiktas.


Flop: Kostas Mitroglou has failed to live up to expectation since his switch to Fulham


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2661792/Fulham-line-Australia-striker-Adam-Taggart-Maarten-Stekelenburg-Kostas-Mitroglou-edge-closer-exit.html#ixzz353OACri4
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[bobby01]

Besiktas want Fulham striker Kostas Mitroglou

Turkish giants Besiktas want to take Fulham striker Kostas Mitroglou on loan – then buy him outright if all goes well, reports Get West London.

It has not been the best of times for the Greek striker at Craven Cottage. The Greece international joined Fulham for a record £12 million from Olympiakos in January but suffered from injury and made just three appearances.

He is currently in the Greece squad at the World Cup in Brazil and came off the bench in a 3-0 defeat to Columbia.

Fulham are understood to want the money back they paid Olympiakos but may be willing to reach a compromise over his £40,000-a-week wages.

Mitroglou has refused to comment on his future at Craven Cottage saying he is concentrating on playing for Greece at the World Cup.



http://footballleagueworld.co.uk/besiktas-want-fulham-striker-kostas-mitroglou503/?

I find it hard to believe he is only on £40k per week.