Wednesday Fulham Stuff (09/07/14)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Done deal! Fulham land Leeds star McCormack for £11m

Fulham have signed Leeds United striker Ross McCormack for £11million.

The Scotland international, last season's top scorer in the Championship, has penned a four-year deal with the Cottagers, with the option of a further 12 months, potentially keeping him at the Club until the summer of 2019.

McCormack started his career at Rangers, before spells at Motherwell and Cardiff City prior to his switch to Leeds in 2010.

Capped 11 times by Scotland, the Glasgow-born striker has scored twice for his country.

He becomes Fulham's fifth summer signing following the captures of Tim Hoogland, Adam Taggart, Kay Voser and Shaun Hutchinson.


Read more at http://talksport.com/football/done-deal-fulham-land-leeds-star-mccormack-ps11m-140708100501#ugttBuRpP2Rfk1Gp.99

[WhiteJC]

 
McCormack Leaves Leeds In £11m Deal That Could Define Cellino

Ross McCormack has left Leeds United for Fulham, signing a four year deal and netting United a transfer fee of £11m.

McCormack's new contract will make him one of the highest paid players in the Championship, and includes the option for another year, while Leeds are receiving the second largest transfer fee ever paid for a Scottish player, and in the top ten for a British striker.

The deal has been met with astonishment at the size of the fee, which is more than double what Liverpool paid for Rickie Lambert this summer. Fulham are among the first three clubs to benefit from increased parachute payments following relegation from the Premier League, receiving £60m over the next four years, and the transfer suggests they are ready to spend that money freely to in a bid to return to the Premier League as soon as possible.

That financial muscle is also believed to have overcome any misgivings McCormack had about not stepping up to the Premier League with one transfer - he will be paid more to lead Fulham's promotion bid that he could have earned at a Premier League side.

He will also earn far more than at Leeds United, where despite several new contracts in recent seasons, he remained down the pecking order in terms of wages with both Steve Morison and Stephen Warnock earning more.

While the fee involved is being seen as coup for United's new president Massimo Cellino, expectation now weighs heavily on Cellino to reinvest the money in a squad that can rival Fulham in their attempt to gain promotion.

Leeds United's new era has been notable so far for a mixture of chaos and cost-cutting, with wages unpaid, bank accounts frozen due to a failed attempt to fight a winding up petition, a winding up petition that has meant only career-reserve goalkeeper Stuart Taylor joining a threadbare squad, temporary closure of the training ground and only partial reopening of its facilities, and the appointment of former non-league manager Dave Hockaday as head coach.

The windfall from Fulham has the power to change all that. The fee is not yet confirmed, but it's expected to be in the region of £8m plus add-ons if McCormack and Fulham are successful, and Cardiff will be due 15% due to a sell on clause - about £1.65m.

That still leaves Cellino with a substantial amount with which to fill the empty changing rooms at Thorp Arch and Elland Road. United's official statement on McCormack over the weekend said, "Leeds United may not be the richest club in the Championship, but we do not need to sell our best players in order to run the club successfully," implying that the fee from Fulham will be added to funds that can already make the club - and hopefully the team - successful.

Leeds fans have reason to be cynical about reinvest from player sales after recent experiences. Money from Fabian Delph's £6m transfer to Aston Villa never found its way to the pitch, stopping instead at the recladding of the East Stand. Jonny Howson was sold to Norwich at the end of the January transfer window, and the promised funds for team building for the rest of the season only brought Robbie Rogers. Max Gradel was replaced by Danny Pugh; Robert Snodgrass was replaced by Luke Varney; Luciano Becchio by Steve Morison.

Leeds fans now hope that Cellino will reverse the trend for non-existent or poor quality replacements for our best players by building a team that can make good on his promise of promotion within two seasons: "Leeds are not ready for a lot reasonsThere's no structure, it's just expensive and we're wasting money on rubbish. Next season, I think not. But in 2015–16, if we don't go into the Premier League then I've failed. You can tell me I've failed."

The omens aren't good. One Cagliari fan, when asked about their former owner, complained about "good players sold and replaced with gigantic blowjobs." Others who spoke to the YEP said, "We agree in selling players at a convenient price (Cellino has been able to trade players for a price higher than what they are worth) but only if you then invest a significant part of the income in improving the team. This has happened very rarely in the Cellino era.

"A quite recent example is the forward, Matri, sold in January 2011 to Juventus for 18m Euro. They needed Matri and with Cagliari in a comfortable position in Serie A, Cellino did a very good deal without risking relegation. But Matri was never replaced with another forward. Cagliari's bank balance is still thanking Cellino for this. But the supporters...?"

Massimo Cellino's bank balance also needs to be taken into the equation, as well as Leeds United's. Cellino is said to have been angered at overpaying GFH for his 75% share of Leeds United, and at becoming entirely responsible for the debts run up during GFH's ownerships. Payments are still due later in the year under the agreement, and while he now has the advantage of funds from the sale of Cagliari, it is up to Cellino whether he wants to spend more of his personal money on Leeds, or whether it must meet its debt payments from within the club.

The fans will only want the money to be spent on the pitch, and some investment will have to be made. Leeds United's strikers at the moment are Hunt, Morison, Poleon, Smith and youngster Lewis Walters, while the rest of the bare bones squad list doesn't look capable of doing anything to improve on last season's disastrous performance.

Certainly Ross McCormack doesn't seem to believe in Project Massimo. His comments at the end of last season echoed those of Robert Snodgrass before him: that despite being captain of Leeds and despite falling in love with the club, the realities of a career that is waning when it should be waxing became too great to ignore.

"Being captain of Leeds United in the Premier League would be a dream come true," Snodgrass said when he was weighing up his options. "But I am living in the real world. We didn't get there. If things change in terms of bringing players in and getting Premier League class and kicking-on, then it's a no-brainer. You sign the contract and move on."

Those players didn't come in under Warnock, and Snodgrass left for Norwich, where despite their relegation Snoddy established himself in two seasons in the Premier League and has stayed there, now transferred to Hull.

McCormack's attitude at the end of last season was pretty much the same. He had described the season under Warnock, after Snodgrass had gone, as "a waste of time," and had been looking forward to a new start under McDermott; by the end of that season, asked about another new start under Cellino, he was unconvinced.

"[Challenging for promotion] can't be the season after, it's got to be next season. Listen, you can't have a club like this again. Four years I've been here now and we've not really... apart from the first year we were challenging and finished seventh, but, you've got to be in the mix.

"You can't say oh, we'll wait for another season because what happens at the end of next season if we're not challenging? Then oh, we'll wait for another season? It can't be like that.

"Leeds United deserve to be in the Premier League, and the only people that can affect that are the players and the owner. So I think he's got to do everything in his power to get us challenging this season."

Massimo Cellino's power should now have been increased by the sale of McCormack; how he uses that power will do a lot to determine the new look Leeds; and whether, this time, the club can reach the Premier League before its best player.


http://thecitytalking.com/sport/2014/7/8/mccormack-leaves-leeds-in-11m-deal-that-could-define-cellino?

[WhiteJC]

 
Massimo Cellino: Ross McCormack forced me to sell him to Fulham
• 27-year-old 'disrespected' Leeds United's Italian owner
• Striker moves to Craven Cottage on a four-year deal for £11m


Ross McCormack has moved from Leeds to Fulham for a fee believed to be in the region of £11m.
Photograph: Lynne Cameron/PA

Fulham have completed the signing of Ross McCormack from fellow Championship club Leeds United for an undisclosed fee believed to be around £11m.

The 27-year-old, who has signed a four-year contract at Craven Cottage, was the top scorer in the Championship last season with 29 goals.

"Fulham Football Club is delighted to announce the signing of Ross McCormack from Leeds United for an undisclosed fee," read a statement on the club's website.

"The Scotland international, last season's top scorer in the Championship, has penned a four-year deal with the Whites, with the option of a further 12 months, potentially keeping him at the club until the summer of 2019."


http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/jul/08/fulham-sign-ross-mccormack-leeds?

[WhiteJC]

 
Norwich City's Championship rivals Fulham complete Ross McCormack transfer deal

Fulham have announced the signing of Leeds frontman Ross McCormack, for a reported £11m fee.

he Canaries' were heavily linked with a move for last season's Championship top scorer until City chief Neil Adams last week dismissed talk of a £10m bid.

Fulham failed with two enquiries earlier in the summer but McCormack has now completed his switch to Craven Cottage for an undisclosed fee. The Scotland international has penned a four-year deal with the Whites, with the option of a further 12 months, potentially keeping him at the Whites until the summer of 2019.

Former club Cardiff will earn a windfall from the transfer after inserting a sell-on clause in the deal that took him to Leeds in 2010.


http://www.pinkun.com/norwich-city/norwich_city_s_championship_rivals_fulham_complete_ross_mccormack_transfer_deal_1_3674680

[WhiteJC]

 
INEVITABLE. ROSS MCCORMACK LEAVES LEEDS UNITED

Keeping hold of Ross McCormack is something Massimo Cellino said he desperately wanted to do and one of the things many Leeds United fans were planning to judge the early days of his Elland Road revolution on, but when Fulham tabled an offer said to be worth £11m, there was only going to be one outcome.

While his departure became inevitable as the offers reached eight figures – the highest fee Leeds United have received for a player since Rio Ferdinand joined Manchester United in 2002 – McCormack's departure is nonetheless disappointing and leaves a quality void Leeds United will struggle to fill.

Our star striker joining a Championship rival is a worrying sign, one which highlights the imbalance caused by Premier League parachute payments and respective spending power of those with and without a bonus effectively awarded for failure. Once again, the cash awarded to the club's coming down isn't used as a parachute to soften the blow, but an opportunity to outspend their Championship rivals and secure promotion back to the Premiership at the first attempt.

But Leeds can't afford to dwell on the loss of McCormack or the injustice of the Premier League's ill-conceived fix to silence media pressure, attention now turns to our own rebuilding project and this kind of money could go a long way to balancing a squad which had weaknesses in several key areas last season and was effectively carried by McCormack's high-scoring exploits.

The immediate concern will be where the goals come from, but of equal importance is fixing the incredibly poor defence and adding some width and creativity to a side which has desperately lacked in both since the days of Max Gradel and Robert Snodgrass.

There wasn't a good time for McCormack to leave Elland Road, but it could have been much worse than this. Losing him at the start of the transfer window is like ripping off the sticky plaster – the immediate pain of hearing the news will be healed by a succession of exciting signings who'll help lead us back to the promised land. Hopefully.

On and on...



http://www.thescratchingshed.com/2014/07/inevitable-ross-mccormack-leaves-leeds-united/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham beat West Ham, Newcastle, Norwich and Cardiff to Leeds star Ross McCormack

Fulham have completed the signing of Scotland striker Ross McCormack from fellow Championship club Leeds for an undisclosed fee believed to be around £11million.

The 27-year-old, who has signed a four-year contract at Craven Cottage, was the top scorer in the Sky Bet Championship last season after hitting 29 goals for Leeds.

A statement published on Fulham's official website on Tuesday read: "Fulham Football Club is delighted to announce the signing of Ross McCormack from Leeds United for an undisclosed fee.

"The Scotland international, last season's top scorer in the Championship, has penned a four-year deal with the Whites, with the option of a further 12 months, potentially keeping him at the club until the summer of 2019."

Fulham had a £5million bid for McCormack turned down last month but have now succeeded with a much increased bid.

The reported £11million fee for McCormack would make him the second most expensive Scottish footballer of all time following James McCarthy's £13million move from Wigan to Everton in September last year.

West Ham failed in their bid to sign McCormack in January, while Newcastle, former club Cardiff, Norwich and Derby had also been linked with the player.

Cardiff are understood to be owed around 15 per cent of the transfer fee due to a sell-on clause.

McCormack signed a new four-year contract at Elland Road last summer, but is understood to have asked for a transfer on June 20 - the day after David Hockaday had been appointed as the club's new head coach.

The transfer fee is more than had been expected for a player unproven in the top flight, but the deal may still anger some Leeds fans who had been hoping McCormack would spearhead their club's promotion challenge under Hockaday next season.

When Hockaday was unveiled by Leeds president Massimo Cellino on June 19, the Italian insisted McCormack would only be sold for the right price to a Barclays Premier League club.

Cellino said he had blocked the Scot's proposed move to Fulham's London rivals West Ham in January. He also claimed he rejected an approach from Newcastle in May.

But McCormack is reported to have told Cellino he wanted to leave the club in a face-to-face meeting at the end of last month and the former Cardiff forward did not travel with the squad last week to its summer training camp in Italy.

McCormack, who started out at Rangers, spent two seasons at Motherwell before joining Cardiff on a free transfer in June 2008.

Leeds paid an undisclosed fee, believed to be around £350,000, for McCormack in the summer of 2010 and after a slow start to his spell at Elland Road he became the club's main striker under Neil Warnock.

He flourished last season after being installed as captain by previous boss Brian McDermott, scoring a total of 29 goals in 53 appearances.

Fulham's summer transfer kitty is boosted by the Premier League's parachute payment following relegation last season and boss Felix Magath had made McCormack his number one target.

He becomes the Cottagers' fifth summer signing following the arrivals of Tim Hoogland, Adam Taggart, Kay Voser and Shaun Hutchinson.


http://www.london24.com/sport/football/clubs/fulham/fulham_beat_west_ham_newcastle_norwich_and_cardiff_to_leeds_star_ross_mccormack_1_3674724

[WhiteJC]

 
David Stockdale on McCormack signing: 'This shows our ambition'

The Fulham goalkeeper believes his side mean business after their £11 million signing from Leeds.

After a reasonably protracted transfer saga, the club confirmed the capture of Leeds United striker Ross McCormack for the hefty fee this morning.

And Stockdale is pleased to see the 27-year-old arriving at Craven Cottage ahead of a season that will see Fulham try to emulate Queens Park Rangers and bounce straight back to the Premier League after relegation.

However, the Cottagers goalkeeper did offer a melancholic note, saying that it is 'sad' to see the Scot leave Leeds.

Fulham scored just 40 goals in the top flight last season and boss Felix Magath has prioritised bolstering their front line this summer.

Australia striker Adam Taggart has already joined the club, while Greece forward Kostas Mitroglou could yet stay in west London.

McCormack's signing could prove pivotal in the coming campaign, however, as the Scot finished the Championship's top scorer last season, with 28 goals.

It is certainly a sign of the ambition Stockdale has alluded to, with Fulham also having signed Tim Hoogland and Kay Voser ahead of the new campaign.

Should the club keep hold of World Cup stars Mitroglou, Bryan Ruiz and Ashkan Dejagah, too, Magath's side will no doubt have as strong a chance as any of sealing promotion.


http://hereisthecity.com/en-gb/2014/07/08/tp-david-stockdale-on-mccormack-signing-this-shows-our-ambition/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Albion's Championship rivals Fulham splash out on McCormack

Albion will face an £11million striker next season after Championship rivals Fulham completed the signing of Ross McCormack from Leeds.

The 27-year-old Scotland striker, who has signed a four-year contract at Craven Cottage, was the top scorer in the Sky Bet Championship last season after hitting 29 goals for Leeds.

Although Fulham, who were relegated from the Premier League last season, have not disclosed the exact fee it is believed to be around £11million.


http://www.theargus.co.uk/sport/albion/11326146._/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Who is Ross McCormack? Five things you might not know about Fulham's new signing

McCormack has arrived from Leeds and here's all you need to know about the Scot


New arrival: Ross McCormack has signed for Fulham from Leeds United

Felix Magath has this morning completed the signing of Ross McCormack after a lengthy pursuit of the Leeds United striker.

The 27-year-old has long been identified as the man to lead Fulham's promotion charge next season and the German has finally got his man.

McCormack forced through the move after submitting a formal transfer request at Elland Road and joins for a fee of £11million.

Here's five things you might not know about the Scottish forward.


Celebration: Leeds fans got used to seeing this last year

1. Celtic secret
McCormack's football journey began at Rangers but the Glasgow-born star is actually a Celtic supporter.

Wisely, the striker hid his allegiance from the Ibrox faithful and only revealed his secret in 2008 after playing for Cardiff in a pre-season friendly against his boyhood club.

The hitman, snapped up by Rangers in his teens, said: " I'm a proud Celtic fan and always will be. But Rangers were the team to come in for me and I enjoyed my time there. That's just how football works.

"I wanted to do well at Ibrox and did my best for Rangers. But I always supported Celtic as a kid and went to watch as many matches as I could."


Under the microscope: McCormack is good at dealing with pressure

2.Cardiff City windfall
Fulham's capture of the Leeds striker for £11million is good news for Cardiff City.

The Bluebirds stand to receive 15 per cent of the fee having inserted a sell-on clause in the deal that took McCormack to Elland Road in August 2010.

Cardiff were also credited with an interest in McCormack before he decided to sign for Fulham today.


Fourty-four: McCormack's shorts emblazoned with his favourite number

3. Magic number
Usually strikers prefer to pull on the number nine shirt - but not McCormack.

He favours 44 and is expected to request that squad number at Craven Cottage, taking it from last season's incumbent Jack Grimmer.

It is believed McCormack wears the number 44 in tribute to his grandmother, who watched him turn out for Rangers.


Predator: McCormack was lethal in front of goal for Leeds

4. Proven
If the statistics are anything to go by then Fulham have brought in guaranteed goals with the signing of McCormack.

He was on fire at Leeds United last season and ended the campaign as the division's top marksman.

In fact, no Championship player had a hand in more goals than McCormack in 2013-14. He hit the net 28 times himself and set up eight for his team-mates, according to Opta.


International duty: McCormack training with Scotland

5. Great Scot!
The £11million fee Fulham have paid for McCormack would make him the second most expensive Scottish footballer of all time following James McCarthy's £13million move from Wigan to Everton in September last year.

He has 11 international caps to his name and has scored twice for Scotland, most recently in August 2012 against Australia.



http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/who-ross-mccormack-five-things-7388436?

[WhiteJC]

 
Magath delighted with McCormack signing

Fulham boss Felix Magath could not hide his delight after capturing Ross McCormack from Leeds United on a four-year deal.

Magath sees McCormack as an important piece of the puzzle as Fulham look to the challenge of regaining a place in the Premier League following relegation last season.

Speaking to the club's official website Magath said "I'm very happy with the signing of Ross McCormack who will be an important player for our squad. Ross was not only the top scorer in the Championship last season, but also made a lot of assists, so has a proven pedigree at this level which can only be an asset to us.

"I'm glad for our fans that we've signed an experienced and exciting player, a Scotland international, with a great attitude and presence who can be a leader that our young and ambitious squad can learn from. There was a lot of interest in him over the summer months so securing his signature is good for Fulham, and I again thank our Chairman for his investment and commitment."



http://footballleagueworld.co.uk/magath-delighted-with-mccormack-signing123/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Magath expects McCormack impact

Felix Magath has backed new signing Ross McCormack to play a significant role in Fulham's promotion bid this season.

The Scot had been linked with a move away from Leeds for the last six months and has now agreed a four-year-deal at Craven Cottage for a fee believed to be in the region of £11million. After being relegated form the top flight last term, the west Londoners are desperate to return to the Premier League at the first time of asking and Magath believes McCormack will be vital to their chances. "I'm very happy with the signing of Ross McCormack who will be an important player for our squad," he told the club's official website. "Ross was not only the top scorer in the Championship last season, but also made a lot of assists, so has a proven pedigree at this level which can only be an asset to us. "There was a lot of interest in him over the summer months so securing his signature is good for Fulham, and I again thank our chairman for his investment and commitment."



Read more at: https://www.clubcall.com/championship/magath-expects-mccormack-impact-1732505.html?

[WhiteJC]

 
Hammers unfazed by McCormack's capital move

West Ham are untroubled by one-time target  Ross McCormack becoming a Fulham player.

Although there is no mention of the fee in a club statement, a figure of £11 million has been reported.

That would be an extraordinary figure for a Championship player despite him scoring 29 goals for Leeds last season.

The Hammers failed with a £4 million bid for the former Leeds player last year and the Cottagers themselves failed with a £5 million bid last month.

The idea therefore that the had to double their offer plus some is pretty unbelievable.

A Hammers source meanwhile told us today: "We are very happy with the business we are doing..

"We did have an interest in Ross McCormack at one stage but it's not one we pursued this summer ."



http://www.claretandhugh.info/hammers-unfazed-by-mccormacks-capital-move/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=hammers-unfazed-by-mccormacks-capital-move

[WhiteJC]

 
Ross McCormack to Fulham

We needed this one.

If you look at the last nine sides to go down and what happened to them next, the signs aren't good:

The numbers in italics are what Fulham might be expected to achieve based on what's happened before.

Clearly this is an exact science (a very long way from it) but when a team is as bad as Fulham were the next season tends not to be great. My very basic excel predictor suggested that we'd score 52 and concede 69 next year, which would land us in about 18th place, give or take. I do understand the limitations of this – teams change, after all, and a lot of teams do much better in the championship – but it does rather hint at the difficulties involved in transforming basket cases to super teams.  And look at the list above.  While there aren't any clear clues about which teams improve and which stay bad, it can't be a good thing that Fulham are going down with a worse defensive record than anyone else has had in the last three years, without the goals tally in attack that might justify this.

In short, we couldn't just flop down and expect things to be better because we'd been up top a few years, because the playing staff really isn't good enough for that. Our closest comparator was Wolves, who kept on going. Something needed to be done.

If there's such a thing as a sure thing in the Championship, Ross McCormack is it.

His goalscoring record is remarkable, both in terms of its quantity and the extent to which he dominated Leeds' attack. He partnered well with Matt Smith last year, as stereotypical a "big man" as you could hope to see, and I suspect this bodes well for Hugo Rodallega, who is better in the target man role than he looks like he should be. It should be an extremely potent combination.

What might it mean? Well let's say Cauley Woodrow would have been good for 10 goals. A good number of Championship players score 10 goals. It's a fair assumption for an unproven young player on a middle of the road team. Suppose that in the same games McCormack bags us 25. Suddenly we've gained 15 goals. (yes, yes, I know). If that means we score 67 and concede 69 then now we're suddenly looking at a 10th place team, give or take.

THEN, if we can tighten up at the back and bring in a central midfielder then suddenly you're looking at the play off places.

So it's important that we did this and it could make a huge difference.  I suspect we need a signing of similar magnitude in the middle of the pitch but this is a big deal.

NOTE: CHANGED MY MIND ABOUT THE LIKELY LEVEL OF FFC NEXT YEAR. SEE COMMENTS.


http://cravencottagenewsround.wordpress.com/2014/07/08/ross-mccormack-to-fulham/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham fend off Premier League interest to sign striker

Fulham have completed the signing of Leeds United striker Ross McCormack for a reported £11 million.  McCormack had previously been linked with a host of clubs including Leicester City, QPR, West Ham United, Crystal Palace, Cardiff City, Norwich City, Newcastle United and Celtic.

Recently relegated Fulham were desperate to add to their front line in an attempt to bounce straight back to the Premier League. Leeds United were reportedly demanding at least £10 million for their star man which may have put Leicester City, QPR, West Ham United, Crystal Palace, Cardiff City, Norwich City, Newcastle United and Celtic off making a move for the much fancied Scot.

The move could be classed as quite a coup for Fulham considering the amount of interest from Premier League clubs. McCormack netted an impressive 28 league goals last term, however having refused to go on a pre-season trip with the rest of the Leeds United squad a switch was always on the card.

The 27 year old has penned a four-year contract with the Cottagers.


http://www.first4lcfc.co.uk/blog/fulham-fend-off-premier-league-interest-to-sign-striker/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Is £11m for Ross McCormack a well-reasoned business decision, or a huge gamble?

The answer to that question is that we're not sure, it could go either way, but we've tried to get into the heads of Fulham anyway

Ross McCormack has been bought by Fulham for a fee rumoured to be around £11million, making him the third most expensive Scottish player of all time (and the second most expensive Scottish-born player).

The most common response to this move was: "11MILLION POUNDS?", which, on the surface, is a perfectly justifiable response, given that Fulham have just laid off a load of backroom staff and Ross McCormack isn't exactly 'the next big thing'.

The former Leeds and Cardiff striker will be 28-years-old next season, and has only received 12 Scotland caps during his career.

But viewed as a business decision from Fulham, there MUST be logic to the signing of Ross McCormack, otherwise, football has finally thrown the towel in and given up all hope of ever being a consistent or logical sport.

Especially for a club managed by somebody who couldn't look more like a member of MENSA if he tried, you have to just hold on to your calculators and hope that some thought went into this decision.


Come on, he must know what he's doing, look at him

Here we go...

If, approached as a business exercise the likes of which we only see on The Apprentice, we can start with Ross McCormack, work backwards, and hopefully end up with an embryonic idea closely resembling logical thought.

So if the answer is Ross McCormack, what is the question?

Well the question must be: "How can we (Fulham) get back into the bountiful arms of the Premier League next year?"

As an addendum to that question: "Given that we'll be in line for a £50m windfall if we DO get back into the top flight, how much can we justifiably spend on one player?"

Thought process:
We need a striker, Kostas Mitroglu was a bad idea.

Let's not waste our money on another signing from a completely alien league, who will get injured straight away.

Can we get Berbs back from Monaco?

Dimitar in the second flight? Lol.

Okay, are there any Premier League strikers going cheap who would be likely to score goals in the Championship?

Erm, no not really. Well... actually, no, never mind.

Okay, well what about the Championship? There must be proven Championship goalscorers who could help us back into the top flight.

Well now you mention it, the top scorer in the Championship last season was Ross McCormack, who plays for Leeds United. They're trying to raise money at the moment.

Okay, well he sounds good. He must have been good if he was the top goalscorer while playing for Leeds, right?

Yeah, actually he was involved in 61% of his team's goals, the next closest player was Barnsley's Chris O'Grady, who was involved in 43.2% of his team's goals.

That's really quite good, we should go for him, let's buy him. Do we have enough money? How much does he cost?

Not sure, to be honest, if we get in touch with Leeds we can find out.

****

Did you put a call in?

Yeah, er. After a bit of back and forth, the best we can get him for is £11m.

£11m? This guy is a regular scorer right, every season?

Welllll, look, he is and he isn't, but the most important thing is that he represents the best balance between risk and reward at the moment.

Who do I make the cheque out to? We need to find a buyer for Kostas soon or more backroom staff will have to go.



http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/11m-ross-mccormack-well-reasoned-business-3826471#ixzz36ttbFrYX
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[WhiteJC]

 
McCormack goes as Leeds fail to match his ambitions

Today we finally got the news we had been expecting all summer. It's been confirmed that Ross McCormack will be heading for Fulham, with the final fee being £11million.

Clearly Massimo Cellino has done well to extract such a large fee from the Cottagers, and it's a reward for his persistence in trying to hang on to the player, after initially saying that he would only sell the captain to a club in the Premier League. Cellino turned down several offers from Fulham, starting with their original offer of £5million, forcing the West London mob to go ever higher to get their man.

The reported £11million fee makes McCormack the second most expensive Scottish footballer of all time (second only to James McCarthy's £13million move from Wigan to Everton last year) and this is also the biggest transfer between two English clubs outside the Premier League. The only downside is that Leeds have to pay 15 percent of the fee to his former club Cardiff, but we're still left with a huge profit on the £350,000 we paid for him four years ago.

McCormack signed a new four-year contract at Elland Road only last summer, but seems to have had a change of heart 12 months later, as he wants to be able to play at the highest level and decided that he would stand a better chance of playing Premier League football if he went elsewhere. At the age of 27 he is now at the peak of his career, and doesn't want to wait for a long rebuilding process before Leeds can challenge for promotion.

He told the Yorkshire Post in May "If the quotes from him [Cellino} are right and he's said he doesn't expect promotion next year, that's not something us as players want to hear or hang around for. At the end of the day, you want to go up and be part of a promotion here. I don't want another year like that. It's no good being done and dusted by April."

McCormack asked for a transfer on June 20 - the day after David Hockaday had been appointed as the head coach, and confirmed to Cellino that he wanted to leave when the two had a face-to-face meeting at the end of last month. So although Cellino wanted to keep McCormack , whom he had described as "playing for three players and carrying a club who would have been relegated without him", the Italian decided he would let the player leave as long as the money was right.

What matters now is what Cellino intends to do with the money. I've said in previous articles that I think it's a good deal for Leeds to get so much money for a player who had three average seasons at Leeds before he came good, so I'm happy we've done the deal. Here's hoping that Cellino will now spend every penny of the cash in getting some new players to bring some much-needed quality into our squad.


http://www.fansnetwork.co.uk/football/leedsunited/news/35420/?

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The top five worst signings for Fulham Football Club


(clockwise from top middle): Eddie Johnson, Steve Marley, Kostas Mitroglou, Diomansy Kamara and Jon Harley

Championship club Fulham set football newswires on fire today with the announcement that Scotland striker Ross McCormack has moved to Craven Cottage, for an alleged £11million.

It's a huge gamble by the London outfit – and let's face it, they don't exactly have a great track record with big-money signings.

Here, Western Morning News transfer guru Stuart James looks back on some of the club's biggest mistakes in the transfer market.

5 – DIOMANSY KAMARA

What is it with Fulham and expensive foreign strikers? Kamara is another Fulham flop as his return of 12 goals in 59 games suggests. However, the Craven Cottage faithful should not have been surprised they were buying another duff (and not Damian Duff) as the Senegalese frontman had only registered 25 in 85 for Portsmouth and then West Brom before his move to the West End. Perhaps the Baggies saw Fulham coming as they gleefully snapped their hands off when they were offered £6 million for his services, thus making themselves a cool £5 million profit.

And during his time with West Brom, he once scored a penalty against Plymouth Argyle...

4 – JON HARLEY

The full-back was touted as one of England's bright young things when he crossed West London from Chelsea in the summer of 2001 and commanded a £3.5 million transfer fee. Despite a goal of the season contender against Aston Villa, when he beat Peter Enckelman from 40 yards, it was his defining moment in 19 league appearances for Fulham, who released him after three years.

This was an exceptionally rare occurrence...

3 – KOSTAS MITROGLOU

The Greek international turned his back on Champions League football with Olympaicos to help Fulham in their ultimately fruitless battle to avoid the drop in January. He arrived with a reputation as a man for scoring goals with 41 in 86 appearances for Olympiacos and carried the hopes of everyone as Fulham's saviour... Mitroglou was anything but. He "Kostas" a hefty £12 million, thus becoming the club's record signing, and is yet to score. In his defence, Mitroglou has made only three appearances because, in Layman's terms, he is unfit and always injured.

The misfiring KM11...

2 – EDDIE JOHNSON

At £3 million, the American Johnson is far from Fulham's most expensive signing, but was he the most useless? He failed to score in 19 league games and registered only four shots on target in three years at Craven Cottage! He did better at Cardiff, scoring twice in 30 games during a loan spell in Wales, while a spell with Preston North End yielded one goal in 16 outings against Reading! Unfortunately, the dubious goals panel took that away from him crediting it as an own goal by the Royals' Alex McCarthy. More Eddie Murphy than Eddie Johnson!

During happier times...

1 – STEVE MARLET

The Frenchman arrived at Craven Cottage in a blaze of glory matched only by Mohammed Al Fayed's unveiling of the Michael Jackson statue. Marlet cost £11.5 million from Lyon in 2000, for whom he had scored 13 goals in 36 games, and became the Cottagers' record buy at the time. Marlet failed to justify the heavy outlay though with 11 goals in 54 games and his poor performances for Fulham led to Al Fayed taking Jean Tigana, the man who signed him, to the Court of Arbitration for Sport for the high transfer fee. Tigana, who had ties to Lyon and had briefly been Marlet's agent, was accused of signing him for an exorbitant fee and taking a cut of the fee for himself. The charges were quickly dropped and Marlet left on a free transfer after four years.

This is what Fulham thought they were buying...

Steve Marlet - His Best Goal ever


Read more: http://www.westernmorningnews.co.uk/worst-signings-Fulham-Football-Club/story-21342995-detail/story.html?#ixzz36tugQnD9
Read more at http://www.westernmorningnews.co.uk/worst-signings-Fulham-Football-Club/story-21342995-detail/story.html?#D5x4jcovYZB7PTCp.99

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Fulham's Shahid Khan "Mugged" in Broad Daylight by Shady Italian – by Rob Atkinson

Concerns are being raised about safety on the streets of south-west London, after the owner of Fulham FC, Shahid Khan, was allegedly mugged in broad daylight yesterday.  The American billionaire, 490th wealthiest person in the world, claimed that he was strolling along minding his own business when suddenly, out of the blue, he was waylaid by a man he identifies only as "Big Mass", apparently a rival of Khan's in the world of sport and finance.  Khan alleges that he was taken by surprise as the assailant appeared suddenly in his path, demanding money.  Anxious to avoid any unpleasantness, he gave up the contents of his wallet, some 11 million pounds.

The suspect in the matter, the man known only as Big Mass, was later questioned by police, but denied any wrongdoing.  "Was business deal, my friend" he is said to have claimed, before being released without charge. Mr Khan admits that he was presented with a second-tier footballer for use in his club Fulham's forthcoming relegation fight, but he maintains that the transaction was more robbery than business.  "£11 million is a lot of money," he lamented. "Would I really pay that much, willingly, for an ageing forward with only one good season behind him??"

A police spokesman commented: "We can find no evidence of any criminal activity here.  Money changed hands, as did the registration of a professional footballer.  We can see as clearly as anyone that the deal is lopsidedly in favour of the selling party, but that's not actually illegal – not unless duress can be shown.  On the face of it, Mr Khan has simply been rather naive in paying so far over the odds.  But this appears to have been a case of being made a mug of, rather than an actual mugging."

Local safety watchdogs were not so sure that things were as innocent as the police appear to accept.  One of their number is Fulham fan and part-time actor Hugh Grant, a man with some experience of the justice system at home and abroad.  Grant felt that there had been foul play, albeit very difficult to prove – and that vulnerable southern-based football club owners would need to be wary in future.  "This Big Mass chap seems to have got away with it big-time here," Grant said, brushing back a floppy lock of hair from his forehead and smiling wryly. "We're all going to have to be on the look-out – and we'll be suggesting that Mr Khan is more careful about carrying large sums of cash.  It'd be embarrassing if he were to lose another 3 or 4 million to this plausible Italian character, only for Fulham to be left with a Paddy Kenny or a David Norris on our hands."

The footballer central to the matter is philosophical about his newly-reduced status. "Business is business," said Ross McCormack, 29.  "These deals get done, and I go where the wages are. I've already been given a Fulham FC badge to kiss and, while it feels a little strange, I can get used to it.  I can get used to anything if the price is right."

Asked about his prospects at Craven Cottage, McCormack was bullish.  "I can achieve every bit as much here as I could at Leeds, possibly more.  At Leeds there was a statue of Billy Bremner outside the ground.  I was never going to get an honour like that, not there.  But here, the local hero is a player I've never heard of – so look out Michael Jackson, Rossco's aiming to have his statue up there beside you before too long!"

Shahid Khan has more money than sense.



http://roblufc.org/2014/07/08/fulhams-shahid-khan-mugged-in-broad-daylight-by-shady-italian-by-rob-atkinson/?

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Cellino gives reasons for McCormack sale

Massimo Cellino has said one of the main reasons behind the sale of Ross McCormack was the players lack of respect towards him reports Phil Hay on his Twitter page.

McCormack completed an £11 million pound move to Fulham this morning, and Cellino said there was no other option but to let the player go.

Cellino said 'He's a bloody good player but he didn't respect me. It wasn't possible for me to keep him.

'He didn't turn up for the pre-season tour, he didn't want to be here and we got a very good price."

"We're losing 15 goals a season, not 30. It wasn't planned that he would go but we will sign players, that was certain anyway."

When asked if money would be invested in the team Cellino said "The players we're going to buy, we were going to buy anyway. So we need another forward."



http://footballleagueworld.co.uk/cellino-gives-reasons-for-mccormack-sale123/?

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Maritzburg seals Pantsil deal

Cape Town - Former Fulham and Ghana international John Pantsil has joined Maritzberg United.

According to Kickoff.com the defender was reportedly training with Chippa United last week but now has penned a deal which will see him where United colours in the upcoming season.

Pantsil can play right back and slot into defensive midfield and Steve Khompela will likely use these attributes to improve on The Team of Choice PSL standing.

After the 2006 SWC Pantsil moved from Hapoel Tel Aviv where he made 46 appearances and netted 4 goals to West Ham United and then in 2008 was signed by the Cottages, Fulham.

He made 76 appearances for Fulham in a three year stint.

The Ghanaian failed to impress Polokwane City and a deal to agree terms fell through with the club last year which saw him join Santos in the First National Division instead.

Maritzburg have already secured the services of Sibusiso Kumalo and Kwanda Mngonyama on loan from Sundowns.


http://www.sport24.co.za/Soccer/PSL/Maritzburg-seals-Pantsil-deal-20140708?