Friday Fulham Stuff (20/06/14)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Five away grounds Reading fans can't wait to visit

Reading supporters are planning their away trips after the Championship fixtures were released today. Here are the fans top five away grounds.

Reading Football Club's Sky Bet Championship fixtures were released this morning with supporters eager to plot their away trips for the 2014/15 season.

Yesterday we asked fans which grounds they were most looking forward to visiting, and here are your top five:

5. City Ground - Nottingham Forest

Forest's City Ground is a popular one among Reading fans and a decent weekend away to boot.

Nottingham is the furthest location in the top five, and Reading visit early on in the season on Saturday, August 23.

Royals have won two and lost two of their last four visits to the City Ground.

The City Ground is just 300 yards from Notts County's Meadow Lane ground, the closest two professional football grounds in the country.

Our resident Forest fan and Wokingham Times sports editor Lewis Rudd said of his clubs ground: "It's a classic old school football ground with plenty of history etched into four walls.

"There are plenty of bars and food joints around the place to keep you occupied.

"Away fans tend to drink in the Larwood & Voce on the boundry of Trent Bridge and it is a short walk to the away end, the food is highly recommended.

"The city is well documented as having healthy a female to male ratio of 4 to 1".

If you can extend your day, and enjoy cricket, Notts Outlaws are at home on 20th August at Trent Bridge which is just across the road.

Local bars include The Southbank Bar, Riverbank Bar & Kitchen and The Embankment on the A60 and of course, there are lovely views across the River Trent.

4. Goldsands Stadium - AFC Bournemouth

Reading head to AFC Bournemouth on Tuesday, October 21 so not ideal for loyal Royals looking for a late break on the south coast.

Bournemouth's ground was rebuilt on the same spot in 2001 with the pitch rotated 90 degress and away from nearby housing. The ground was a three sided affair until promotion to the Championship in 2013.

Any trip to Bournemouth should come with the following note for fans: Royals have not won on the road to Goldsands since a 2-1 win in 2001 when the clubs were in what was then Division 2.

3. AMEX Stadium - Brighton & Hove Albion

After year's in the temporary Whitdean Stadium following the sale of the Goldstone Ground, Brighton finally have a shiny new stadium in Falmer.

The Seagulls have been there or thereabouts in terms of Championship finishes since their return to the division in 2011 but are on their third manager in Sami Hyppia after Oscar Garcia resigned at the end of the season.

I'm quite suprised Brighton, as a destination anyway isn't higher in this list as it is a brilliant weekend away with a good vibe going on.

Sophie Goddard on our survey says: "Not a million miles away from where I live in West Sussex. Enjoy a lot of banter with the people I live near as they mainly support these clubs!"

2. Griffin Park - Brentford

It's been a good few years since Reading had anything close to a 'local' match, so for now Brentford will have to do.

Of course the last time Reading travelled to Brentford, they earned promotion to what was then Division 1.

Griffin Park is famous for having a pub on each corner of the ground, and as Reading head to Brentford on Saturday, October 4 there will be plenty of time for fans to do the quadruple.

If you are feeling mildly cultural on the day, you can always take a quick trip over to Kew Gardens.

On our survey, fan 'Pete the Kayaker' said: "Griffin Park is the tops - friendly atmosphere and a pub on each corner!"

Ben Parlour said: "great memories of Curo's goal"

Getting to Brentford is pretty straightforward with a quick change at Staines.

1. Craven Cottage - Fulham

Reading's recent history with Fulham is good, with a 4-2 win at Craven Cottage last time out in the 2012/13 Premier League season.

Unfortunately, Reading based fans of Michael Jackson will no longer be able to take a pilgrimage to the King of Pop's statue, as it's been removed by new owner Shahid Khan.

On our survey Gavin Summers said: "Fulham - easy to get to and HT refreshments beside the river".

Marc Mayo said: "Fulham is close as thousands of us pack in".

Craven Cottage, despite being a Premier League ground for 13 years, retains it's charm on the banks of the River Thames in an affluent part of London with plenty for Royals fans to see and do.

The Buenos Aires Argentine steakhouse on Fulham Palace Road is the nearest watering hole/restaurant to the ground and appears to have some favourable reviews.



http://www.getreading.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/five-away-grounds-reading-fans-7287959

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham among three Championship clubs chasing Manchester United keeper

Fulham, Ipswich Town and Birmingham City are all chasing Manchester United goalkeeper Sam Johnstone according to Sky Sports.

It is understood that the 21-year old keeper will be allowed to leave Old Trafford on loan next season and following a fairly successful loan spell with Doncaster in the Championship, a return to the league is expected.

Fulham are believed to be targeting the keeper as they expect Maarten Stekelenburg to leave the club this summer which will leave little competition for David Stockdale.

Ipswich Town are also looking to replace a member of their squad – Scott Loach, who left for Rotherham. His departure leaves little competition for current first choice Dean Gerken.

Birmingham City are thought to be favourites to sign the 21-year old on loan due to the loan affiliation that has seemed to develop between the two sides. However, it is likely Johnstone would feature much due to Irish goalkeeper Darren Randolph.


http://footballleagueworld.co.uk/fulham-among-three-championship-clubs-chasing-manchester-united-keeper111/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham backer joins West Ham United

Premier League soccer side West Ham United have announced a new sponsorship agreement with Marathonbet, which becomes the east London club's new betting partner.

The global partnership, described by the Hammers as 'long-term', begins with the 2014/15 campaign. As part of the deal Marathonbet will title sponsor an annual pre-season match, which will be known as The Marathonbet Cup.

Financial terms of the agreement were not released.

"We're delighted to have reached an agreement with West Ham United," said Marathonbet's chief executive Graham Luke. "The club is known throughout the world for its proud history and its loyal, passionate fanbase."

Marathonbet is no stranger to Premier League sponsorships. Last July the company signed a two-year deal to become the shirt sponsor of Fulham, who subsequently suffered relegation to England's second tier Championship this May.


http://www.sportspromedia.com/news/fulham_backer_joins_west_ham_united/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sportspromedia-soccer+%28SportsProMedia+-+Soccer%29&utm_medium=feed

[WhiteJC]

 
Saunds Says: My time at Fulham left a bitter taste in my mouth

Bees star Sam Saunders' gives his reaction to next season's fixtures in his blog

Like the fans, the players were just as excited when the fixtures were released this week.

It's great to get a home game to start off, and to be at Griffin Park on the final day is also very kind.

Although there are no easy games in this division, the first five or six matches gives us an opportunity to get some points on the board early on, which would give us a platform to build on for the rest of the season.

As a youngster who has been released from other pro clubs, you may have worried you wouldn't get this opportunity again. But now we are looking forward to facing the likes of Reading, Blackburn and Bolton, who were all in the Premier League not so long ago.

Winning promotion feels very real now after seeing the fixtures and who we come up against. The games in League One certainly don't look as pleasant as they did before!

There are a couple of games I am really looking forward to - my two former clubs Charlton and Fulham.

I was at the Valley for five years up until I was 15, so that was always going to be a big one for me, especially being from that part of town.

I then went to Fulham, but to be honest my experience there left a bitter taste in my mouth.

I was there for a year and was promised a contract, but unfortunately things never really materialised.

There was about 50 kids at a release trial where players from all over the country would play/watch.

They said if I did well I would secure my deal. We lost 5-3 and I scored a hat-trick, but I still never got anything.

I went to Welling and then back to Fulham again to play a tournament in Marseille. I thought I done well but they said they couldn't offer me a scholarship because they already had their full quota.

I ended up going back to Welling, so to now be playing a league fixture against Fulham will be extra special for me.

Pre-season training begins on Wednesday but to be honest I wish it was tomorrow!

Dougie, Macca and myself are all 30 and above, but we feel 21 again and can't wait to get started again.

When I was working on the underground and playing part-time at Carshalton being a pro footballer was beyond my wildest dreams and all I wanted to do, so you won't hear me complaining.

We are set targets before we go away for the summer, so we have to make sure we take care of ourselves and return in good nick.

You have to try and relax but in the back of your mind you are always thinking about pre-season.

In between holidays I have been doing bits in the gym, pilates and running to try to stay in shape.

I am feeling the benefits, especially since I missed the second half of the season through injury.

My knee was a bit sore at first, but I'm building up my fitness and raring to go again.

At the end of the season we were fortunate enough to go to Vegas; not just the players but the backroom staff too.

It's a team effort at the club and that is the reason we were successful last year. It will be no different this time.

It's going to be nip and tuck in the Championship with games decided by small margins. You have to be a tight-knit group, which we are. We've got team spirit in abundance.



http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/sport-opinion/saunds-says-time-fulham-left-7294359?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham news and transfer rumours: Cottagers close on international striker

Whites linked with Australian World Cup star Adam Taggart


On the radar: Adam Taggart has been linked with a move to Fulham

Fulham are eyeing a move for Australian striker Adam Taggart.

Reports Down Under suggest the Cottagers are in talks with the Newcastle Jets frontman with view to a £180,000 deal.

The 21-year-old, who plays alongside Emile Heskey, is believed to have held medical tests while in Brazil with the Aussie national team.

Taggart topped the A-League scoring charts with 16 goals last term, and appeared in Wednesday's 3-2 defeat to Holland as a late substitute.

Fulham boss Felix Magath is rebuilding his squad for the new campaign after showing the door to nine players following relegation from the Premier League.



http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/fulham-news-transfer-rumours-cottagers-7295377?

[WhiteJC]

 
The five exciting young stars who could be vital in Fulham's promotion push next season


Fulham starlet Moussa Dembele (Photo by Tom Dulat/Getty Images)

Fulham blogger Will Elliot takes a look at five Fulham youngsters who could be called into the first team to help the Cottagers promotion push next season.

Moussa Dembele

After joining from PSG in 2012, Dembele (not that one) was seen by a real coup by the youth academy. So far he has proved his worth and class. He has continuously scored goals for both the Under-18 and Under-21 sides and played a big part in the Under-18's run in the FA Youth Cup, scoring in the final. The consistent level of performance he retained led him to playing a part in three first team games at the end of last season, and he started against Everton. He has demonstrated tremendous ability for a 17-year-old, which has led to him being tracked by a number of large clubs. If Fulham can keep hold of him for their promotion push, he is sure to help them massively.

Patrick Roberts

By far the most well known player coming out of Fulham's academy, Roberts has undoubted talent. Rumours are that he has already been given a £15 million price tag to ward off interest from clubs such as Manchester United. Roberts' dribbling skills are incredible for someone who just 17 years of age and his overall game looks like he can potentially develop into a world class star in years to come. He played a starring role in both the Fulham Under-18's FA Youth Cup run and England's Under-17's triumph in the Euro's. Felix Magath has told the youngster he fully expects him to be a regular first team player next season, calling him an 'extraordinary talent.' Roberts took part in two games this season, while being on the bench for a number of the other games. His blistering pace means he can easily beat most others players down the line and whip in a ball.

Cauley Woodrow

Still young at the age of 19, Woodrow is another very promising player to emerge from the academy at Fulham. Having already played in six games last season and having scored his first goal in the last game against Crystal palace, Woodrow looks like he could once again be an important player for Fulham's promotion push next year. He has recently been called up to the England Under-21's squad and has scored two goals for his country. Standing fairly tall at over 6ft, it is fairly obvious when watching Woodrow that he wins almost everything in the air. The physical presence shown should provide a good starting position for him to improve in the more physical Championship.

George Williams

Yet to appear for the first team, Williams is one of the lesser known products of the academy. However, after his very impressive performance for the Wales Under-21's against England Under-21's where he ripped apart Carl Jenkinson, he received a call up to the national squad and replaced Gareth Bale when the Madrid player was sidelined with injury. If we go by the fact he is playing for his country at such a young age, it gives prospect that he could turn out to be a very impressive player for Fulham in years to come.

Chris David

David was signed from FC Twente by Martin Jol, and has at times shone at the club. At a slightly older age than the rest mentioned (21), he has certainly showed the fans why there was hype surrounding him when he first signed. This can be best shown through his fabulous strike against Crystal Palace on the last day of the season. However, he has been heavily linked with a move away from Fulham back to the Dutch league. If kept, his versatility could be key for Fulham in years to come. These are a few of the many players bidding to come through the academy, however, many others have the capability to become extremely capable players. Hopefully Felix Magath puts his faith in many of the youngsters to help quicken their progress.


http://www.london24.com/sport/football/clubs/fulham/the_five_exciting_young_stars_who_could_be_vital_in_fulham_s_promotion_push_next_season_1_3649188

[WhiteJC]

 
A Billionaire's Urban Getaway: Inside Shahid Khan's Chicago Penthouse
This story appears in the June 30, 2014 issue of ForbesLife.


The shower space, which has floor-to-ceiling views of Chicago, is modeled after the ancient spas in Pompeii.
(Credit: David Yellen for Forbes)

When Shahid Khan flew from Pakistan to the United States for college at age 16, he dreamed of becoming an architect. But he threw out that career blueprint early in his first semester at the University of Illinois for a simple reason: He found out how much the profession paid.

"I love architecture, but I learned early on that architects just don't make a lot of money," the 63-year-old says with a hearty chuckle.

It turned out that Khan's chosen field, industrial engineering, served him quite well in that regard. After revolutionizing the car industry with a one-piece bumper design in the late 1970s, he went on to build $4.4 billion auto parts juggernaut Flex-N-Gate , which powered him to billionaire status and in recent years enabled him to splurge on two high-profile sports teams: the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars and the Fulham Football Club in the English Premier League.

As a Pakistani immigrant jet-setting to games in Jacksonville and London while overseeing new factory openings from Mexico to China, Khan (with his signature handlebar mustache) could be the poster boy for global business. But at heart, he's still an adopted Midwesterner, with his main residence and company headquarters just minutes from his alma mater in the sleepy college towns of Urbana and Champaign, Illinois.

And when Khan wanted to lay down urban roots, he didn't seek a pied-à-terre in Paris, Shanghai or even New York. Rather, he looked to Chicago. Before either football team gave him a global presence, buying an expansive penthouse along Chicago's prestigious Millennium Mile in 2006 showed the world that Khan was ready to conduct business on a billionaire scale–and fulfill a lifelong dream of design he gave up on all those years earlier.

From the 61st floor of Park Tower, one of the city's tallest buildings, his apartment boasts a 360-degree view of Chicagoland, including Lake Michigan. The vista captivated Khan and his wife (and former college sweetheart), Ann, when they were touring properties around the city–and was ultimately the main reason they spent $8.3 million on the 9,000-square-foot space. "We were looking for about a year," Khan says, "but when this came up we knew it was special and would really capture the essence of Chicago."

Respecting the city's rich architectural history–from Frank Lloyd Wright to Frank Gehry–was also important to Khan, who found the previous owner's bleak modernist design of unvarnished bleached-white drywall off-putting. For the kind of money he was spending, Khan wasn't buying a fortress of solitude. His goal was to make the space impressive but inviting–friendly for the dual purpose of family getaways and business meetings. "Urban living is an intersection of business and personal life," he says. "You need a space that people want to be a part of."

Khan drew on his extensive travels to furnish the penthouse with a rich tapestry of color–a palette of golds, reds and browns that evoke a luscious throne room fit for a Chinese emperor. But those hues are used judiciously throughout the minimalist rectangular layout, which was engineered to preserve the unique proportions. Khan, ever the amateur architectural enthusiast, cites Mies van der Rohe as a major inspiration. As the influential head of the Chicago architecture school at what would later be renamed the Illinois Institute of Technology, Mies championed a "less is more" design philosophy of steel-framed glass and once described one of his more famous buildings as being "almost nothing."

"This place would be woefully out of place in Jacksonville, in Urbana, everywhere except probably Barcelona," Khan says. (With four factories in Barcelona, he draws many similarities between Chicago and Spain's own "Second City," where at the water's edge a history of art and architecture is both glorified and tested.)

The classical-meets-modern vision shapes the apartment, especially the master bathroom, where Roman style meets the city that invented the skyscraper. The shower space is modeled after spas that survived the volcanic explosion of Pompeii, which Khan has visited often. Golden-tiled walls present a mosaic of trees similar to what one might find in those ancient saunas, but here multiple showerheads surround a sparkling white freestanding bathtub that resembles a large egg sliced in half. The modern pièce de résistance is the opposing wall, where simple floor-to-ceiling windows offer the perfect cityscape contrast to the Romanesque motif.

Shortly after purchasing the apartment, Khan grew dissatisfied with the first few high-profile designers he spoke to, most of whom suggested putting up walls and carving out trendy oval-shaped rooms. Instead, he stayed close to home with Suzanne Lovell, a Chicago-based firm that embraced what Khan thought was "true to the space." As an early proponent of open working spaces, Khan says interactivity among people is just as important in a residential environment as it is on an office floor. Cutting up the penthouse into a bunch of cubbyholes was never an option. "Whether you're enjoying good times or going through difficult times, it's the same thing–you're dealing with people," he says. "How you have the interaction is very important."

Last year Khan went through a similar reconstruction with the Jaguars' front office in Jacksonville, where he installed open floor plans and glass conference rooms after a complete cleanse of the coaching and operations staff. He hopes new personnel working amid a new layout will be able to shake up the moribund franchise he purchased for $770 million in 2012.

Back in Chicago, his apartment's current design limits privacy to the master and two other moderately sized bedrooms, just enough for Khan's two grown children. The rest of the penthouse flows freely, with creative solutions to accommodate more guests. For example, when Ann throws a girls-night-in slumber party, the Khans can deploy four Murphy beds installed in the media room.

The space saved by avoiding extra guest rooms means the main living room is 54 feet long, with a wall of windows stretching nearly all the way to the 14-foot ceilings. The result feels like a luxury event hall, which, in essence, it is–the Khans recently entertained 140 guests for their daughter's engagement party.

Since 2006, Ann and Shahid have slowly gathered art to furnish the space, mixing the old world with the new. Among the first pieces they bought to fill the void were 300-year-old antique rugs from Uzbekistan that each run more than 40 feet. They added a chandelier saved from the Hotel Murano in Italy that was torn down in 1904. A Renoir hangs handsomely across from an abstract painting by contemporary painter Cecily Brown. The apartment also features two Manolo Valdés portraits.

Yet no matter how much Khan has spent to beautify the apartment (his official calculation: "a lot of money"), he never wants it to be too fancy to throw a party in. "We're going to have over friends, family, and enjoy it," he says. "It goes without saying that you do get some red wine spilled, and you have to be ready for that. But you can't put plastic covers over everything."

That attitude has served Khan well over the years in the auto parts business, where practical logistics have always mattered more than strict adherence to ideology. Recently he bought and retrofitted an old Dow Chemical plant in Brazil, right next to a new Ford factory, to maximize profit that would otherwise be lost to transportation. Khan just opened his latest plant in Shanghai, Flex-N-Gate's 62nd factory across the globe. Organic growth and a rebounding automobile industry has led to what Khan calls a "virtuous cycle" of profits for everyone in the manufacturing chain.

Khan faces a more difficult turnaround job in London. Fulham, the Premier League club he bought for $300 million in July 2013, was supposed to provide synergy with the Jaguars, who now host one game a year at London's Wembley Stadium. But the team crashed and burned this year despite two expensive managerial changes, and will be relegated to the second-tier Football League Championship division next season.

That's a challenge Khan will face with the same patience he and Ann applied to building out their Chicago penthouse. "You have to take the time to live in a place to collect all the pieces, develop a vision," he reflects. "You can't just go to Home Depot and buy everything."


http://www.forbes.com/sites/briansolomon/2014/06/19/the-skys-no-limit-inside-billionaire-shahid-khans-chicago-penthouse/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Grant Appointed

Fulham Football Club is delighted to announce the appointment of Peter Grant, who joins Felix Magath's staff as a First Team Coach.

A former Scotland international, Grant started his senior playing career in 1982 with Glasgow Celtic, making more than 350 appearances before moving to England to sign for Norwich City.

His first coaching experience was as player-coach with AFC Bournemouth before assuming the position of assistant manager at the South-Coast club.

He became the assistant manager of West Ham United and, along with Alan Pardew, helped the side reach the 2006 FA Cup Final. 

Five months later, Grant was appointed manager of Norwich where he remained for 12 months.

He has held first team coaching roles at West Bromwich Albion and Celtic under Tony Mowbray. He also worked under Alex McLeish at Birmingham City, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest.     

Magath said: "I'm delighted Peter Grant has joined my backroom staff for the start of pre-season training. I believe Peter is the right choice to join us as we build for the future."


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2014/june/19/grant-appointed?

[WhiteJC]

 
Mitroglou down
23:30 - 19 JUN 2014

Fulham no show Kostas Mitroglou has played 29 minutes, but now seems bored so is having a lie down, allowing the physio to rub his bum.


http://www.itv.com/worldcup/mitroglou-vzujfdoq-l2mw8i5?