Tuesday Fulham Stuff (14/10/14)...

[WhiteJC]

 
EXCLUSIVE: Manchester United set to sign Arsenal target in summer

Manchester United are set to beat Arsenal to the signing of 17-year-old Fulham starlet Patrick Roberts next summer, according to FLW sources.

The Fulham winger who can also operate as a striker has been a target for a number of top flight clubs, however FLW understands that the Red Devils are set to complete a deal for Roberts next summer.

Last month, FLW reported that Manchester United had opened talks with Fulham regarding a summer move for the 17-year-old.

Roberts played for Fulham in the Premier League during the final stages of last season, and made a string of impressive performances.

The winger recently played in an England under-19 qualifier against Belarus, where the Three Lions came out victorious in a 3-0 win with Roberts scoring one.

The Fulham prodigy admitted to the FA website that he feels at home in the England U19 squad.

He said: "There are excellent players in every England team from the U16s right up to the seniors, so it's not difficult to click with them.

"We all feel at home in this squad, not just me, Izzy and Freddie, but everyone. We're all good players and we enjoy playing with each other."


http://footballleagueworld.co.uk/exclusive-manchester-united-set-to-sign-arsenal-target-in-summer/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Exclusive - Fulham close to appointing new manager, reveals Murphy

Danny Murphy says Fulham are close to deciding on their new manager.

The former Craven Cottage star is part of a five-man committee assessing suitable candidates for the vacant post and he has told talkSPORT they are making good progress.

Speaking on the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast, he said: "We are getting much closer.

"We have been working quite hard, having a couple of meetings, and for any fans out there listening, we are nearly there."

Kit Symons is the frontrunner for the job having enjoyed a successful spell in caretaker charge.

Billy McKinlay, Chris Hughton and Gianfranco Zola have also been linked with the post.


Read more at http://talksport.com/football/exclusive-fulham-close-appointing-new-manager-reveals-murphy-141013118501#THHyJKzfITCMq6pp.99

[WhiteJC]

 
Williams' First Win

Ryan Williams helped Barnsley come from behind to defeat Yorkshire rivals Bradford City on Sunday afternoon.

It was his home debut for his new loan side, having played 36 minutes of their Football League trophy defeat at Oldham Athletic in midweek.

The Bantams took the lead with just 44 seconds played when Jason Kennedy netted, but Barnsley responded with a flurry of goals in the second half to claim the points and bragging rights.

A Rory McArdle own goal drew them level shortly after the restart, before a powerful Sam Winnall effort put the Tykes in front on 66 minutes.

Williams was withdrawn on 86 minutes and watched as substitute Kane Hemmings wrapped up proceedings in the fifth minute of stoppage time.

The result moves Barnsley up to 13th in the Sky Bet League One standings.


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2014/october/13/williams-first-win?

[WhiteJC]

 
Why Kit Symons is the answer to Fulham's four-year problem


Kit Symons has won three games and lost two since being appointed Fulham's caretaker manager (Picture: Getty Images)

Fulham hasn't been quite the same since Roy Hodsgon left for Liverpool in the fateful summer of 2010.

It was a bitter-sweet season; we'd made a Europa League final, stamping our unique identity on the continent, but, too, Hodgson's departure had become inevitable.

He had masterminded our mesmeric, hasty rise from relegation-certainties to Premier League middleweights, all the time maintaining the traditions and values that this humble club holds dear.

Mark Hughes did a respectable job in the aftermath but was too egotistical to see his reign through. Martin Jol, meanwhile, simply failed.

And if we gloss over the disaster of Felix Magath, we're left here, 22nd in Championship and without a permanent manager.

But the answer, as it usually does, lies right beneath our noses. Kit Symons is the solution to our four-year problem.

Since Hodgson's departure, we have craved stability and continuity, and we've been desperate for more genuine, Fulham men to be involved at a significant level at the club.

Mohamed Al Fayed – a man who truly loves this club – leaving did not help the imbalance and we became a club run by people who may well have cared for, but didn't understand Fulham.

Appointing Symons will bring some of that back. He has played for and worked with the club for years. He has an affinity with the fans and results show he can galvanise players and get them on his side.

And that's no mean feat, given the various shades of hell through which this group of players have been dragged over the past few months, under a regime that relied on fear as motivation.

Certainly, Symons does not have the longest CV. Nor does he bring the best credentials to the table – Chris Hughton probably wins there – but we've seen, on so many occasions now, that promoting from within is a sensible, sustainable way of carrying a club forward with the minimal amount of fuss.

Neil Adams at Norwich City shows that in abundance, and it is the Norfolk side who we must face next, still under Symons' 'temporary' tutorship.

Win or lose, the answer still seems obvious to me.


http://metro.co.uk/2014/10/13/why-kit-symons-is-the-answer-to-fulhams-four-year-problem-4904114/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Movember Announcement

Fulham Football Club is pleased to announce that we will be participating in the popular annual fundraiser Movember this year.

With the charity putting an emphasis on goalkeepers in 2014, our Mo Team will be captained by Marcus Bettinelli, while Tim Hoogland, Fernando Amorebieta and Dan Burn have also signed up.

They will be joined by Fulham staff, and hopefully many Whites supporters, in growing and grooming a moustache throughout the month of November.


We're inviting all fans to sign up to the official Club page, which can be accessed at moteam.co/fulham-fc. On this page, select the 'Join This Team' option and fill in your details to become part of the FFC Movember team.

Your friends and family can then either donate specifically to you, or to the Fulham team as a whole.

At the end of the month, we'd love to see your Fulham Mos, and we'll get the First Team to choose their favourite.

Keep an eye on fulhamfc.com for more Movember related activities.

About Movember

Locally grown moustaches were once a common occurrence on football pitches all over the UK. A team without a moustachioed talisman was a rarity and most were born and bred in their hometown and fresh from the terraces themselves. Movember aims to celebrate those golden times and to once again see real men with real moustaches grace the pitches of the UK.

Players and supporters can still be heroes on and off the pitch through the power of their upper lips and locally grown moustaches. Man made and changing the face of men's health.

Movember has raised £345m for men's health over the last 10 years and has been responsible for over 800 initiatives concerned with prostate cancer, testicular cancer and men's mental health in 21 countries.

In the UK, through collaboration with health partners Prostate Cancer UK and the Institute of Cancer Research, coupled with direct funding from the Movember foundation, Movember are committed to accelerating outcomes in key areas of men's health and this year, for the first time, are raising funds for men's mental health problems.


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2014/october/13/movember-announcement?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham close to appointing new boss

Murphy reveals Cottagers are 'nearly there' in manager search


Leading the search: Danny Murphy
Fulham are close to finding Felix Magath's successor, according to Danny Murphy.

The former Cottagers captain is among a five-man committee - put together by owner Shahid Khan - leading the search for a new boss.

Caretaker manager Kit Symons is in pole position for the post, while Billy McKinlay, Chris Hughton and Gianfranco Zola are other names in the frame.

Murphy told talkSPORT: "We are getting much closer.

"We have been working quite hard, having a couple of meetings, and for any fans out there listening, we are nearly there."


http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/fulham-close-appointing-new-boss-7928529?

[WhiteJC]

 
Enterprise Challenge

Fulham FC Foundation launched their Premier League Enterprise Challenge programme on Thursday night at Craven Cottage.

The Premier League Enterprise Challenge is an annual event where Premier League and Football League Club Community Organisations delivering Premier League Enterprise initiatives, schools, community groups and young people take part in an exciting national competition. The Challenge builds on existing enterprise education programmes delivered by the Foundation all year round.

Now in its sixth year, the Premier League Enterprise Challenge is supported by the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills and has become an important milestone in the Premier League Communities events calendar. Over 8,000 young people have taken part in the Challenge to date.

Teams of students from a range of educational establishments and community groups are tasked to work on a real brief set by the Premier League Chief Executive, Richard Scudamore. Teams need to work with participating CCOs and will get the opportunity to learn more about different aspects of their Football Club, including marketing, finance and customers service.

This year's challenge was once again a dilemma faced by every football club: 


Families – Premier League Match Attendance

You work in your Club's Sales and Marketing Department and have been tasked with increasing the number of families who attend your home matches.

You need to present your ideas to the Club Board, including the following points: 

1. Outline why it is important that your Club attracts families to matches;

2. Develop a range of initiatives to grow and sustain family attendance levels, enhance their whole match experience and engage them in additional Club-related activity; 

3. Produce fully-costed plans for the initiatives, including how and to whom they will be marketed and promoted; 

4. Detail how you expect the success of your ideas will be measured by the Board; 

5. Show the short and long term return on investment (ROI) and the interaction with families that you could generate for your Club. Use realistic financial targets and think about the expectations of families 

This season the Foundation will be delivering the Enterprise Challenge to 120 "hard to reach" young people aged 14-19 in schools and community groups in areas of high deprivation. The sessions are designed to help shape enterprising and entrepreneurial spirit among participants and cover topics such as: communication, creativity, innovation, decision making, financial awareness, leadership, negotiating, influencing, planning and presenting to an audience.

Following the delivery of workshops by Fulham FC Foundation staff, a group will be chosen to represent Fulham from heats held at Craven Cottage in February. If the team make it through the southern semi-final stage in March they will be invited to the national final at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills office in London in April 2015.

The Foundation's Education and Inclusion Manager Danielle Richards said: "The Enterprise Challenge is a wonderful opportunity for young people to develop their business and enterprise skills by being exposed to real-life scenarios from the world of football and the brand of Fulham Football Club.

"The chance to work with staff from the Foundation and the industry experts at the Club will provide the young people with invaluable business experience and who knows we could inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs!"


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2014/october/13/enterprise-challenge?

[WhiteJC]

 
The Suspense Is...............
   
It seems an age since Felix Magath was, quite rightfully, shown the door.

Kit Symons has done a fine job as caretaker boss, he`s lifted the mood, got the team winning again and remains the hot-tip to be given the job on a permanent basis.

However, whilst one of those mentioned as a possible candidate, Neil Lennon, has chosen to try and resurrect the fortunes of an ailing Bolton Wanderers side, there are other names in the frame, namely Billy McKinlay, Chris Hughton and Gianfranco Zola.

But it would appear that the five-man selection committee have gotten closer to naming Magath`s permanent successor with one of the panel, Danny Murphy, remarking about the situation,

'We are getting much closer."

'We have been working quite hard, having a couple of meetings, and for any fans out there listening, we are nearly there.'

Well can you hurry up, the suspense is killing us!


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=373436#ixzz3G5TzJaWm

[WhiteJC]

 
Report: QPR and Fulham both in hunt for former Spurs boss

Former Tottenham Hotspur manager Tim Sherwood is reportedly in the frame to succeed either Harry Redknapp at Queens Park Rangers or Felix Magath at Fulham.

Tim Sherwood may be mulling over numerous job offers in the coming weeks, if recent reports are to be believed.

Fulham have long been chasing the former Tottenham Hotspur boss. Even in August, The Mirror claimed that Craven Cottage chiefs were looking to the Englishman as a suitable replacement for "struggling boss Felix Magath".

Kyt Simons is currently caretaker manager, but Sherwood remains a candidate as the long-term option.

However, the Daily Star Sunday imply ex Stoke City head coach Tony Pulis could be given the nod as the Cottagers are seeking a manager with great experience.

Sherwood, though, could also be in contention to succeed Harry Redknapp at Queens Park Rangers, should the 67-year-old and the West Londoners part company.

Despite a summer of spending, QPR lay at the bottom of the Premier League division having tallied just four points, four goals and one win from seven outings.

QPR's imminent fixture list is also particularly daunting as Redknapp will be tasked with collecting positive results against Liverpool, Aston Villa, Chelsea and then Manchester City.


http://hereisthecity.com/en-gb/2014/10/13/report-qpr-and-fulham-both-in-hunt-for-former-spurs-boss/?

[blingo]

EXCLUSIVE: Manchester United set to sign Arsenal target in summer

Manchester United are set to beat Arsenal to the signing of 17-year-old Fulham starlet Patrick Roberts next summer, according to FLW sources.

The Fulham winger who can also operate as a striker has been a target for a number of top flight clubs, however FLW understands that the Red Devils are set to complete a deal for Roberts next summer.

Last month, FLW reported that Manchester United had opened talks with Fulham regarding a summer move for the 17-year-old.

Roberts played for Fulham in the Premier League during the final stages of last season, and made a string of impressive performances.

The winger recently played in an England under-19 qualifier against Belarus, where the Three Lions came out victorious in a 3-0 win with Roberts scoring one.

The Fulham prodigy admitted to the FA website that he feels at home in the England U19 squad.

He said: "There are excellent players in every England team from the U16s right up to the seniors, so it's not difficult to click with them.

"We all feel at home in this squad, not just me, Izzy and Freddie, but everyone. We're all good players and we enjoy playing with each other."


http://footballleagueworld.co.uk/exclusive-manchester-united-set-to-sign-arsenal-target-in-summer/?

You might want to re-phrase that last sentence Patrick lol.