Friday Fulham Stuff (09/01/15)...

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FA Cup Information

Supporters are advised that should Fulham beat Wolverhampton Wanderers in our FA Cup Third Round Replay on Tuesday, then our Fourth Round tie away to Sunderland will take place on Saturday 24th January (3pm).

The Whites are currently scheduled to host Nottingham Forest in the Sky Bet Championship on the 24th, and so this fixture would be played on an alternative date. Fans would be informed as soon as the new details are confirmed.

Should Fulham qualify for the Fourth Round, tickets will be priced at £15 adults and £5 concessions.

We want as many fans as possible to make the journey to the West Midlands on Tuesday, and so we're subsidising travel for our supporters who make the trip, with return coach travel available for just £10.


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2015/january/08/fa-cup-information?

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Leicester could lose Liam Moore with Blackburn, Fulham and Watford interested
LEICESTER could lose England Under-21 defender Liam Moore this month.


ON THE MOVE? Liam Moore could leave Leicester this month with a host of Championship clubs interested [GETTY ]
Watford have made an approach to take centre back Moore, 21, on loan.

Fulham, who had a £2.5m bid rejected last January, remain keen on landing him.

And Watford and Fulham's Championship rivals Blackburn are also in the hunt.


http://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/419018/Leicester-Liam-Moore-Blackburn-Fulham-Watford

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Fulham keeper vows to battle World Cup finalist for number one spot

Dutch legend is a Marc-ed man at Craven Cottage


Debut delight: Bettinelli
Marcus Bettinelli is ready to battle Maarten Stekelenburg for the Fulham keeper's jersey next season.

The young keeper is living the dream by holding down the number one spot while the Dutchman is away on loan with Monaco, and wants more of the same even if the man who played in the 2010 World Cup final returns in July.

By his own admission, Stekelenburg had a dreadful debut campaign. Fulham were relegated, and towards the end even David Stockdale had replaced the international between the sticks.


Down: Maarten Stekelenburg suffers
But despite cutting a sorry figure around SW6, the 32-year-old has two years left on his contract at the end of the season and cost Fulham close to £4million when signed from Roma.

Boss Kit Symons agreed the Dutchman's return to the first team is on the cards if Fulham pull of a bit a shock and return to the elite - but not without a fight says the youngster who was a mere pupil 12 months ago.

Bettinelli added: "I know Stek pretty well. Sometimes he can seem a bit grumpy - but deep down he's a really nice guy, and he taught me quite a bit, and we'll see how he goes if he comes back.

"When you've had his experience; playing in a World Cup final and that, you can imagine there are things to learn, as there was from Mark Schwarzer, and Stocko even more so.


Action Images / John Rushworth
Fulham manager Kit Symons
"Some foreigners find it hard to get used to the language, but Stek spoke great English and he was a big help with little things that make the one per cent difference. I look forward to seeing him again - if he comes back."


Before that, Fulham have to make the play-offs at the very least starting with a return to league action at Cardiff on Saturday. For Bettinelli, life has turned full circle since the 1-1 draw that was Fulham's first point back in August.

"That was my league debut." he added, "and although Kenwyne Jones scored for them that was the highlight of the season for me at the Cottage.

"Every game is a new game for me. I can't thank the boss enough for the support he showed me. It's a surreal feeling considering I was at Accrington on loan last season."

Symons is ready to dip into the transfer market during the window, but admits he has riches galore when it comes to keepers.

"Stek's still a Fulham player, and we'll view all our options and make the right call for the club when the time comes," he said.


http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/fulham-keeper-vows-battle-world-8392153?

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Beginning of the end for Fulham

Rewind: March 8, 2014, Cardiff City 3-1 Fulham


False hope: Lewis Holtby (hidden) scores for Fulham
This was the beginning of the end - and everybody in Fulham white knew it.

A win here might have rekindled hope of another great escape, but instead a strange looking side picked by a strange man capitulated in a second half that all but sealed Fulham's doom.

Everyone has high hopes for Cauley Woodrow.


Kost-a-lot: Mitroglou (L) has a go watched by Steven Caulker
Indeed, the 20-year-old is very much part of future plans, but at the time Woodrow was back from a loan spell with Southend where he struggled to get regular games in League Two.

Left thrumming his fingers on the dugout chair, Darren Bent finally got his chance to replace the youngster when all was lost, and the former England international probably wondered what he was doing at Fulham in the first place.

If he didn't, I'll bet a gold pig Kostas Mitroglou did.


Equaliser: Lewis Holtby celebrates
The Greek international cost a record £12million in January, and never once looked as if he was ready for a Premier League relegation battle.


Either injured or 'unavailable' he made one of his three appearances in a Fulham shirt at this game, and cut a pretty sorry figure for the most part as might be expected of a half-fit forward.

Manager Felix Magath must have thought he was doing the right thing, but Mitroglou and Woodrow as a front pair hardly bred confidence among fans, and with keeper Maarten Stekelenburg also out of sorts, the side had to depend on its midfield engine for hope.

As it turned out, the Cardiff player who made his mark and sent Fulham bottom is now ironically in west London.


Body blow: Steven Caulker (hidden) scores the second goal for Cardiff
Steven Caulker scored on the stroke of half time and again in the second half on 69 minutes to cancel out the vestige of hope that was on-loan Lewis Holtby's leveller.

Sascha Riether's blunder of an own goal for 3-1 merely emphasised a good player fallen on hard times.

Caulker moved to QPR for £8m in the summer, as did team-mate Jordon Mutch, but neither manager will face each other in the dugouts on Saturday.


Battle: Ashkan Dejagah (L) takes on Fraizer Campbell
In fact, the one Fulham survivor could be Woodrow, and possibly Alex Kacaniklic back from his loan spell with FC Copenhagen, but not Magath and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.

Ironically, both bosses lost their jobs on the same day, September 18 last year, after both failed to keep their sides up while making a poor start in the Championship.

Maarten Stekelenburg, John Arne Riise (Alex Kacaniklic 45), Johnny Heitinga, Brede Hangeland, Kieran Richardson, Sascha Riether, Steve Sidwell, Ashkan Dejagah (Giorgios Karagounis 50), Lewis Holtby, Kostas Mitroglou, Cauley Woodrow (Darren Bent 76)

Att: 26,796


http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/beginning-end-fulham-8395981?

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Newcastle United's Malcolm Macdonald at 65: Part two of our interview

Newcastle United legend Supermac recalls his best game, best goal, his favourite players, the 1974 FA Cup final, and much more


Malcolm Macdonald celebrates signing for Newcastle United in 1971 with manager Joe Harvey

Yesterday we heard from former Newcastle United superstar Malcolm Macdonald and learned about his time as the Magpies' fearsome centre-forward between 1971 and 1976.

Today, as he turns 65, Supermac answers more questions about his life and times in football.

Who was your favourite team and player as a youngster?
I fell in love with football at a very early age.

As a child, my family lived just up the road from Fulham's ground, Craven Cottage.

One day, my father who was a painter and decorator announced he was taking me to my first match. I was four years old.

It was mid-winter so I got kitted up in my hat, scarf and gloves and we trotted down to Craven Cottage.

I found the whole experience magical, and it stuck in my mind for life.

Going through the turnstile, the steps, the crowd, the pitch, and getting passed to the front with all the other kids.

I watched the match and the tackles through the netting and the keeper's legs.

I was completely sold on football.

A year or two later I was back at Craven Cottage when my school arranged for some of us to go and watch Fulham in a 4th round FA Cup replay. The match kicked off at 2pm on a Wednesday afternoon and the opposition were none other than Newcastle United.

Jackie Milburn was playing - he was so quick - and had a rocket shot.

It was a classic Cup tie with Newcastle running out 5-4 winners.

The winning goal was scored by Vic Keeble who I met only recently at the unveiling of Joe Harvey's memorial plaque at St James' Park.

Vic and I talked about that very game, and it was amazing nearly six decades later that we had that connection.

As for my favourite player as a kid, that was Fulham's Johnny Haynes - a phenomenal player with two great feet, and a real gentleman.

Years later, of course, as a young player I would line up alongside him at Fulham. Imagine that.

What was your best performance and goal as a Newcastle United player?
My home debut against Liverpool has got to rate as my most memorable game for Newcastle.

Scoring that hat-trick and the reaction of the crowd was just incredible.

As for my best goal, a lot of people mention the long-range effort against Bolton in the FA Cup in 1976. That goal was televised. But my best goal wasn't.

It came against Leicester at St James' Park in 1975. We had cleared a corner and the ball fell to Irving Nattrass who began sprinting up the field.

I began running as well and as he reached the half-way line, Irving squared the ball and I hit it first time.

I was inside the centre-circle at the time and the ball left my boot and just flew in into the net. I just wish the cameras had been there!

What was your biggest disappointment as a Newcastle player?
Definitely the 1974 Cup final. We just didn't turn up on the day, which was very frustrating as we'd put in some great performances on the way to Wembley.

The win at West Brom in the fifth round, for example was something special. If you remember, we won 3-0 and I scored along with John Tudor and Stewart Barrowclough.

It was also the best I saw Jimmy Smith play. He had a wonderful game. Terry McDermott did well that day, also.

As for the final, the mistake we made was to copy what Sunderland had done a year earlier when they won the Cup.

We travelled down days before the final and stayed in the same hotel they'd used.

We were down there for far too long, whereas Liverpool stuck to their normal routine and travelled down the day before.

At half-time in the game, I remember walking off with Frank Clark and saying "at least we can't play as bad in the second half". But, of course, we were even worse.

Ironically, only a few months later we played Liverpool at St James' and slaughtered them. It was 4-1 and we played them off the park. I scored twice, I remember.

Who was the best footballer you played with during your career?
At Newcastle it was Terry Hibbitt. Great left foot and great vision. We had a marvellous partnership on the field and he created so many of my goals.

Later on at Arsenal, Liam Brady was phenomenal. A wonderful player.

We would give Liam the ball, saunter up the field, and by the time you were in position, Liam would make a killer pass.

Alan Ball was also special with Arsenal and England. He would only take a maximum of two touches and the ball would be at your feet. A fine player.

Who was the best footballer you faced?
I played against the likes of Eusebio and Franz Beckenbauer, but nobody could touch George Best. He was incredibly quick with the ball at his feet, and even I had trouble keeping up with him. George was a good friend, and he was a lovely, warm man who loved his football.

Which of today's teams and players do you rate?

Definitely Chelsea at the moment. They're very strong and I think they'll hold off Manchester City to win the league. And I highly rate Diego Costa up front.


http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/history/newcastle-uniteds-malcolm-macdonald-65-8403012?

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BRISTOL CITY BLOG: The jury is in on Matt Smith and the verdict is "smash hit"

Matt Smith has won over Bristol City fans by scoring eight goals in four games.

During a journalistic career that now spans three decades, I have lost count of the number of football managers who have told me they don't read anything I write.

Gary Johnson was an exception to that particular rule, while Sean O'Driscoll would regularly text me his response to articles despite proclaiming publicly not to take the Bristol Post.

Given that current City manager Steve Cotterill has suggested he does not read my articles, I was somewhat surprised when he emerged from the away dressing room at Gillingham the other night and took me to task for something I had written a couple of weeks earlier.

In a detailed appraisal of Steve's record in the transfer market since taking charge at Ashton Gate in December 2013, I divided players into three categories; hit, miss or jury out depending on their level of performance in a City shirt.



Read more: http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/BRISTOL-CITY-BLOG-jury-Matt-Smith-verdict-smash/story-25825375-detail/story.html?#ixzz3OFqofmUW
Follow us: @BristolPost on Twitter | bristolpost on Facebook

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Team News

Kit Symons will have both Ryan Tunnicliffe and Alexander Kačaniklić available to choose from in Saturday's game at Cardiff City.

The pair recently returned from loans at Blackburn Rovers and FC Copenhagen respectively, and they are both eligible for selection ahead of the Whites' trip to the Welsh capital.

Symons' main injury concern going into the Sky Bet Championship fixture is that of Lasse Vigen Christensen, who was withdrawn early on in the goalless draw against Wolverhampton Wanderers last time out.

"Lasse Christensen is a bit of a frustrating one," he said. "Again, it's not too bad, it's very similar to what he did against Bournemouth.

"It's certainly a less serious one but we'll make sure we get him right and build him up slowly and make sure he's going to be right to come back in."


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2015/january/08/team-news?

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Kit's Cardiff Preview

Kit Symons is convinced that Fulham's mini dry spell in front of goal is no cause for concern, and has backed his team to rediscover their scoring touch.

Last Saturday's goalless draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers in the FA Cup was the Whites' third game in a row without finding the back of the net, but our Manager has no doubts regarding the side's scoring potential.

"No, not particularly," he stated when asked if he was worried about the lack of goals. "If it goes on it's a bit of a concern.

"It's funny because we've had three clean sheets in our last five and that had always been our Achilles heel because defensively we were letting in far too many goals.

"So we seem to have addressed it at one end but it's dried up a little bit at the other end. But it's just getting that balance right and that will come back with the quality players we've got. The goals will start coming again, I'm convinced of that.

"Even in the Wolves game there were a lot of opportunities for us, it was the lack of hitting the target that was a big problem. There were enough chances, for both sides to be fair, but we didn't hit the target with enough of ours which was a big concern.

"Numerically, the number of chances was sort of okay, but we've got to certainly test the keeper more and hit the target and hopefully score more goals."

Fulham's first opportunity to get back amongst the goals sees us travel to Wales to take on Cardiff City on Saturday.

The Bluebirds have taken just two points from their last five matches in the Sky Bet Championship, and Symons is keen to heap further misery on Russell Slade's men.

He stated: "I went to watch them against Watford on 28th December and they got soundly beaten on the day – as we did, so I can't say much about that as we know what a good side Watford can be.

"It's a tough time for them at the moment. Cardiff's a club I know very well; my nana used to live just a stone's throw from Ninian Park, and they're not particularly happy there at the moment and we need to try and use that to our advantage.

"But sometimes a wounded animal is the most dangerous one, as they say, so we'll be in for a tough game without a doubt, but we'll be ready for it."

A Fulham man who grabbed headlines this week was Matt Smith following his four-goal salvo for loan side Bristol City in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy.

The domineering striker won plaudits for the quality of his strikes, and Symons admitted his delight at seeing the 25-year-old flourish in his temporary surroundings.

"I went along to watch him against Gillingham on Tuesday night," he said. "I text him to let him know I was going and text him again the next morning after his four goals, and said he should have had six!

"Matt took his goals really, really well and he's a very good player. He's our player and I'm delighted he's out and scoring goals.

"Certainly his stock's rising and also we're very mindful of the fact that he's out and doing well. We're certainly monitoring that – like I say, I went and watched him myself and I was pleased with what I saw."


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2015/january/08/kits-cardiff-preview?

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Turnaround Starts Against Fulham?
   
Cardiff picked up a positive, and needed, FA Cup win against Colchester in front of a ghostly populated Cardiff City Stadium last Friday, we'll seek another home win against Fulham this weekend.

The Championship game could end in defeat mind, then again maybe even a draw!

Cardiff's form of late has seen the hopes of a play-off surge, rekindled by the form when Russell Slade first took over as our new manager from Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, die off again.

At this stage making the end of season play-offs doesn't look great but this would still be possible but we really need to get back to winning ways against Fulham this weekend, and get a consistent run of results going, if we're going to keep those thoughts alive....

Ahead of this game we're looking for your views on what way you think this game will go, which obviously requires you to vote in one of three ways?

Basically, these are of course:-

Cardiff win
Fulham win
Draw


Read more: http://www.cardiff.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=383430#ixzz3OFrbgat1

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Christensen injury frustrates Fulham boss

Fulham midfielder Lasse Vigen Christensen will need to be managed back to full fitness slowly, according to manager Kit Symons.

The Dane aggravated a hamstring injury in last Saturday's goalless draw with Wolves, lasting only 32 minutes on his return before limping off.

Christensen had been declared fit after just one day of full training but Symons said this time he will ensure the in-form midfielder is up to speed before throwing him back in.

The Whites boss said: "Lasse Christensen is a bit of a frustrating one.

"It's not too bad, it's very similar to what he did against Bournemouth.

"It's certainly a less serious one but we'll make sure we get him right and build him up slowly and make sure he's going to be right to come back in."

While Christensen will miss Saturday's trip to Cardiff, Fulham's midfield numbers are swelled by the return of Alex Kacankilic and Ryan Tunnicliffe, who have been recalled from loan spells.

Kacaniklic played 45 minutes of a behind-closed-doors friendly win over Portsmouth on Tuesday.


http://www.westlondonsport.com/fulham/christensen-injury-frustrates-fulham-boss?

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Fulham Set to Make an Ambitious Bid
   
Some time ago we mentioned that newspaper gossip was linking Fulham with a move for a Bournemouth player.

Today that speculation has reappeared in the tabloid press with it being implied that a bid to bring the AFC Bournemouth player, Matt Ritchie, to Craven Cottage will be concentrated on now the transfer window is open.

A fee of £3 million is being mentioned as the price for the 25 year-old but the sticking point could be that Bournemouth are on the cusp of promotion, if they keep their form going, whilst we`re just a mid-table club.

Sceptics are of the opinion it could all be a ruse that will see Ritchie awarded a new contract by the Cherries to ensure he remains down at the south-coast club.

But you just never know do you, the player may fancy life in swanky West London!


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=383465#ixzz3OFs0mNYC

[WhiteJC]

 
A Look at Officials: What could Football learn from Hockey?
by LYDIA on JANUARY 8, 2015

downloadThis isn't really anything to do with Fulham specifically but just shows my thoughts on issues surrounding refereeing in football. One aspect of football that the game could do without is the lack of respect towards the referees. Rarely can a match be complete without a player angrily arguing a decision that has been made by those in charge of a match. When players surround a referee not only does it show a lack of respect but it also shows poor sportsmanship as often players are trying to get another player sent off or booked. I believe it to be blight on the game that referees are rarely able to make decisions without being hassled by players and managers. Let me make it clear, a player has the right to ask why a decision was made but there is a better way to do this than surrounding and shouting at the referee at every opportunity which is what we often see. Referees make mistakes, I'm not refuting that, but the lack of respect shown just adds pressure which can lead to more and more mistakes being made. I also refuse to accept that a lack of respect towards referees stems from just poor decisions.

I watch a lot of football but I also play and officiate a lot of hockey. When I watch international hockey you just don't see anywhere near the amount of dissent and challenging the umpires as you do in football. There could be a few reasons for this. One could be that international hockey makes use of technology for decisions made inside the circle (the only area of the pitch that a play can score from. Once the umpire (referees in hockey are called umpires) has made a decision, the captain of a team can challenge it. The appeal then goes to a video referee who re-watches the incident and gives feedback through a radio. This sort of appeal can only be used inside the circle and teams can only do this a number of times in a match which prevents a team from appealing it every time and just chancing their arm.

This brings up the debate about technology in football again. Many believe that one reason football is so entertaining is the unpredictability that comes from human-error regarding to both players and referees while others argue that football would be better if errors from referees that can costs games were ruled out. In the case of hockey, technology has only improved the game as many mistakes have been ruled out and the outcome of games aren't scorned because one team feels hard done by those officiating. One problem is that the technology is only available at the very top level so it only benefits those at the top of the game. It increases respect toward the umpire because players know that the biggest decisions can be challenged so dissent is reduced as player don't feel the need to shout and argue to get their point across. If the hockey style use of video technology was brought into football it would mean that once a referee has made a decision surrounding a foul in the box then the captain of a team could appeal it giving the referee to go to a video referee to confirm the call. This could mean that players aren't surrounding the referee or linesman as they can use an appeal. One argument against this is that it would increase the amount of stoppages throughout the game. However, if the appeal could only take place in the box and could only happen, say, once per team then the time argument could go away. The appeal system could, if the right rules were also brought in with it, be a real asset to the sport.

However, I don't believe that technology is the obvious answer to the question of how to improve the respect issue towards refereeing in football. Another aspect of hockey that football could potentially learn from is the use of cards in hockey. Hockey umpires have three cards rather than the two used in football. Umpires carry a green, yellow and red card to help them officiate the game. All cards carry a sin bin consequence for the player it is shown to.

The green card is for small offences such as repeated fouling or dissent and means a player will be off the pitch for between 2-5minutes. The amount of time is decided by the umpire depending on the situation. The yellow card is for more serious fouls, fouls that could prevent a goal scoring opportunity or serious dissent (or repeated dissent). An umpire can decide on the length of a time a player goes off the pitch for, generally between 10-15mins. A red card results in a player being sent off permanently, as in football, but is only used in very serious circumstances, mainly were violence is used. An umpire uses their discretion as to what card to show and when. The 2minute suspension is a big reason why players show respect to the umpire as players know that any back-chat at all to an umpire could result in a green card. I have been a badged umpire for just under a year now and experience has told me that when a player shouts back at me, a green card will generally stop this. The other players will know that their will be a direct consequence for dissent so won't do it. I'm not saying that football should copy exactly the same system but it would be very interesting to see if a sin-bin would work. I am convinced that it would tackle dissent and would increase respect towards referees.

I reckon that it will only be a matter of time before video refereeing is brought into football in some aspect. Goal-line technology has been a success so more could be brought in to assist with other decision. I don't think that sin-bins will be brought in despite their success in hockey, and other sports such as rugby. No matter what happens in the future of the game, I hope that we see more respect from players and managers towards those officiating. At the end of the day, no referees means no football!

@Lyds_campbell


http://hammyend.com/index.php/2015/01/a-look-at-officials-what-could-football-learn-from-hockey/?

[Bill2]

Newcastle United's Malcolm Macdonald at 65: Part two of our interview

Newcastle United legend Supermac recalls his best game, best goal, his favourite players, the 1974 FA Cup final, and much more


Malcolm Macdonald celebrates signing for Newcastle United in 1971 with manager Joe Harvey

Yesterday we heard from former Newcastle United superstar Malcolm Macdonald and learned about his time as the Magpies’ fearsome centre-forward between 1971 and 1976.

Today, as he turns 65, Supermac answers more questions about his life and times in football.

Who was your favourite team and player as a youngster?
I fell in love with football at a very early age.

As a child, my family lived just up the road from Fulham’s ground, Craven Cottage.

One day, my father who was a painter and decorator announced he was taking me to my first match. I was four years old.

It was mid-winter so I got kitted up in my hat, scarf and gloves and we trotted down to Craven Cottage.

I found the whole experience magical, and it stuck in my mind for life.

Going through the turnstile, the steps, the crowd, the pitch, and getting passed to the front with all the other kids.

I watched the match and the tackles through the netting and the keeper’s legs.

I was completely sold on football.

A year or two later I was back at Craven Cottage when my school arranged for some of us to go and watch Fulham in a 4th round FA Cup replay. The match kicked off at 2pm on a Wednesday afternoon and the opposition were none other than Newcastle United.

Jackie Milburn was playing - he was so quick - and had a rocket shot.

It was a classic Cup tie with Newcastle running out 5-4 winners.

The winning goal was scored by Vic Keeble who I met only recently at the unveiling of Joe Harvey’s memorial plaque at St James’ Park.

Vic and I talked about that very game, and it was amazing nearly six decades later that we had that connection.

As for my favourite player as a kid, that was Fulham’s Johnny Haynes - a phenomenal player with two great feet, and a real gentleman.

Years later, of course, as a young player I would line up alongside him at Fulham. Imagine that.

What was your best performance and goal as a Newcastle United player?
My home debut against Liverpool has got to rate as my most memorable game for Newcastle.

Scoring that hat-trick and the reaction of the crowd was just incredible.

As for my best goal, a lot of people mention the long-range effort against Bolton in the FA Cup in 1976. That goal was televised. But my best goal wasn’t.

It came against Leicester at St James’ Park in 1975. We had cleared a corner and the ball fell to Irving Nattrass who began sprinting up the field.

I began running as well and as he reached the half-way line, Irving squared the ball and I hit it first time.

I was inside the centre-circle at the time and the ball left my boot and just flew in into the net. I just wish the cameras had been there!

What was your biggest disappointment as a Newcastle player?
Definitely the 1974 Cup final. We just didn’t turn up on the day, which was very frustrating as we’d put in some great performances on the way to Wembley.

The win at West Brom in the fifth round, for example was something special. If you remember, we won 3-0 and I scored along with John Tudor and Stewart Barrowclough.

It was also the best I saw Jimmy Smith play. He had a wonderful game. Terry McDermott did well that day, also.

As for the final, the mistake we made was to copy what Sunderland had done a year earlier when they won the Cup.

We travelled down days before the final and stayed in the same hotel they’d used.

We were down there for far too long, whereas Liverpool stuck to their normal routine and travelled down the day before.

At half-time in the game, I remember walking off with Frank Clark and saying “at least we can’t play as bad in the second half”. But, of course, we were even worse.

Ironically, only a few months later we played Liverpool at St James’ and slaughtered them. It was 4-1 and we played them off the park. I scored twice, I remember.

Who was the best footballer you played with during your career?
At Newcastle it was Terry Hibbitt. Great left foot and great vision. We had a marvellous partnership on the field and he created so many of my goals.

Later on at Arsenal, Liam Brady was phenomenal. A wonderful player.

We would give Liam the ball, saunter up the field, and by the time you were in position, Liam would make a killer pass.

Alan Ball was also special with Arsenal and England. He would only take a maximum of two touches and the ball would be at your feet. A fine player.

Who was the best footballer you faced?
I played against the likes of Eusebio and Franz Beckenbauer, but nobody could touch George Best. He was incredibly quick with the ball at his feet, and even I had trouble keeping up with him. George was a good friend, and he was a lovely, warm man who loved his football.

Which of today’s teams and players do you rate?

Definitely Chelsea at the moment. They’re very strong and I think they’ll hold off Manchester City to win the league. And I highly rate Diego Costa up front.


http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/history/newcastle-uniteds-malcolm-macdonald-65-8403012?

Lived opposite Bishops Park, I actually played with him a couple of times for a Fulham Borough side when he was young and before he was recognised as the talent he was although I knew his brother better. Irony is he was centre forward for England, Arsenal and Newcastle and where did he play for Fulham, full back.