Tuesday Fulham Stuff (20/04/15)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham 1-0 Blackpool; Fulham Survive And Yet...

Jesus H Blackpool is but 1 point away from setting an all-time low record for points and yet:

Blackpool. Shot. Nearly. Twenty. Times.

This (tragic) dumpster fire of a club is 22nd in total shots for and, thankfully for Fulham, 23rd in shots on target for. Their Shooting %, despite somehow better than Rotherham, is 22nd but not even 24% (i.e. only 1 of their 4 shots on target go in the net.)

As of last month, they barely had 130 DZ shots total in about 40 games. On Saturday they got 5.

And Fulham set out a fairly defensive lineup.

Which may explain whey they had six total shots. Against an opponent that is DEAD LAST in total shots AND shots on target against (Spoiler alert: Fulham also had two shots on target. TWO. But hey, 50% Shooting Percentage!)

Oh and looks like Fulham's second leading scorer and shot taker was left on the bench, again.

Statistically speaking, this may match may have crossed the rubicon for me. There's no tenable reason to keep Kit as manager after the Norwich match. The defense is bad, the offense is petering, results are being achieved when they shouldn't be, and the team selection is confounding.

Any of those in isolation would be acceptable. Two of four? Eeeeep. All Four? Toodle-oo.


https://cravencottagenewsround.wordpress.com/2015/04/20/fulham-1-0-blackpool-fulham-survive-and-yet/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Jose Mourinho reportedly eyeing England U21 keeper to replace Petr Cech

It seems a foregone conclusion at this point that Petr Cech will be departing Chelsea this summer, and that the Blues will be looking for a replacement. The Telegraph is reporting a new target that Chelsea could be looking at, with Jose reportedly taking a midweek trip to watch 22-year old Marcus Bettinelli of Fulham.

Bettinelli has been impressive since debuting for the Cottagers this season, and made his England U21 debut this past September. He'll have just one year to run on his Fulham contract after this season, so if the club don't feel they can get the player inked to a new deal, it's likely he'll be moving on this summer. Enter Chelsea, who have an obvious need for a keeper.

As far as Chelsea are concerned, Bettinelli would seem to be a close to ideal replacement for Cech. The 6'4" keeper is young, talented, would qualify as homegrown, and certainly wouldn't cost anything that the Blues would be unable to afford. He'd certainly be a more exciting addition than a guy like Rob Green, who seems to be the name most often linked to the backup job.

That said, the move probably doesn't make nearly as much sense for the player, who would have little to no chance of unseating Thibaut Courtois. Unless Bettinelli is happy watching the Blues win silverware from the bench (while being paid quite well) as opposed to actually playing, a move to a cub with less stability in goal would seem far more logical. I'm sure we're watching Bettinelli, as he's both talented and right under Chelsea's nose, but this one doesn't seem overly feasible as far as I'm concerned.


http://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/2015/4/19/8453329/chelsea-fc-transfer-rumors-marcus-bettinelli-fulham-petr-cech

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham 'to offer Marcus Bettinelli new deal'

Fulham will reportedly offer Marcus Bettinelli a new contract in a bid to ward off interest from Premier League clubs this summer.

Chelsea are believed to be considering a move for the England Under-21 shot-stopper and manager Jose Mourinho is even said to have watched the player in action against Rotherham United last Wednesday.

The Blues are thought to be looking for a new keeper as doubts over the long-term future of Petr Cech at Stamford Bridge persist, but The Mirror claims that Fulham are now in negotiations with Bettinelli to extend his stay at the club.

Fulham may be keen to resolve Bettinelli's contract situation this summer as the 22-year-old's existing agreement runs out at the end of next season.

The Cottagers are currently 18th in the Championship table.


http://www.sportsmole.co.uk/football/chelsea/transfer-talk/news/fulham-to-offer-bettinelli-new-deal_218168.html

[WhiteJC]

 
Defeat summed up our season, says Clark


Blackpool's Jose Miguel Cubero battles with Fulham's Sean Kavanagh

Lee Clark said Saturday's 1-0 home defeat by Fulham summed up Blackpool's season.

The relegated Seasiders had more than their fair share of play but an early Matt Smith header sealed the points for Fulham and virtually secured their Championship status.

Smith's eighth-minute goal came after two huge chances for winger Henry Cameron to put Pool ahead.

Clark said: "The goal we conceded was really poor but we were the dominant team in the game.

"We had two good opportunities through young Henry early in the game and he was really unlucky.

"They went up the other end – we didn't stop the cross or defend it well and it crept in.

"It wasn't a powerful header – it was more of a flick off his head.

"We might even have felt harshly done by had we only taken a point. It's the story of our season really.

"We dominated the game but just couldn't get through to score.

"There are lots of positives. The individual performances of lots of players in the last four or five home games have been of a high standard but we've got to get wins on the board."

The rock-bottom Seasiders remain on 25 points, one behind Stockport County's lowest ever Championship tally.

They have two matches remaining, at Cardiff and at home to Huddersfield, to avoid making this humiliating piece of history, though Clark feels they should have ended a 16-game winless streak which stretches back to January.

He added: "Our end product could have been a bit better at times but I thought we dominated the game from start to finish.

"The end can't come soon enough really, but with the exception of Derby (where Pool lost 4-0 last Tuesday) I think the level of performance has been high in recent weeks.

"The players are trying to show a lot of courage on a really poor pitch and trying to pass the ball around.

"The grass is starting to grow but that's making the bounce of the ball tough."

Nine points and four places clear of the drop zone, Fulham are as good as safe but manager Kit Symons was far from impressed with the game.

He said: "It was a scrappy, horrible, ugly game, but it was imperative we got a win and we managed to do that, with a clean sheet to boot.

"There were a couple of times we could have scored another one towards the end, but I'll just take the three points whatever way they come at this stage.

"We did ride our luck a bit, but we've not had an awful lot of luck this year, so maybe it was a little bit overdue.

"Mathematically we need one more point but this was a massive win for us.

"It wasn't a classic and not one I will show the grandkids in years to come."


http://www.blackpoolgazette.co.uk/sport/blackpool-fc/defeat-summed-up-our-season-says-clark-1-7218420

[WhiteJC]

 
Burn: Massive Result

Dan Burn was delighted to secure an important three points that sees the Whites almost safe in the Sky Bet Championship after beating Blackpool 1-0 at Bloomfield Road.

"It's a massive result, Millwall drew so that's put us nine points clear, it's just on goal difference now, so it's down to us," Burn told fulhamfc.com.

"I would hate to be a fan watching the game but I'd rather be feeling like this when we've played terrible. It's better to have won 1-0 than tried to have played football and got beat.

"I'll take an ugly win and we needed it, it's not the time of season to be showing people how good you are technically, it's about getting results and we've done that."

A slow start nearly cost Kit Symons' side with a mixture of the post and Marcus Bettinelli coming to the rescue, and the defender admitted that perhaps a draw might have been fair.

"We started slowly, we had a full-on talk before the game about starting quickly and we were the complete opposite which we've done in a few games and is probably why we're in the position we're in," Burn continued.

"We rode our luck and Betts (Marcus Bettinelli) made a couple of good saves. It was a pretty even game, a draw would have been a fair result, they had a shot at the end where Betts has tipped it over the bar. It definitely wasn't a game for the spectators but we''ll take the win."

The defender was full of praise for the two players involved in the goal, as Sean Kavanagh delivered a peach of a cross onto the head of Matt Smith who directed it into the corner of the net.

On Kavanagh, Burn said: "His crossing and his passing, he's probably got one of the best left foots I've ever seen, so I'd back him when he gets in those positions to put it on Matty's (Matt Smith) head, and you've seen Matty, he's lethal in the air and it's both lads doing what they're good at and got us the goal we needed."

The game was not one for the neutrals with a difficult pitch making it hard for both sides to get the ball down and play but the 22-year-old was happy to deal with long balls.

"I'm happy to play like that, it's when they are running down the sides and trying to run past me that I'm less comfortable," he joked. "I'd much prefer them to play long if they're going to do that."

The win means that the Whites are now unbeaten in four and although some of the results have not been what the side have wanted, he was keen to take the positives.

"We got three draws which were not the results we wanted but we're not getting beat," he added. "We got a clean sheet up here, which is the first we've had for a while, since Huddersfield. Clean sheet, 1-0 win, we'll settle for that."

Fulham now go into the final two games of the season with a cushion over the bottom three but Burn is keen to push on and make it mathematically certain.

"The pressure is a little bit off but as I said with the goal difference, we want to make it concrete so we're not going to take our foot off the pedal," he said.

"We've been given two days off after this result and then we're back in and working hard making sure that we can try and scupper Middlesbrough and Norwich's chances of going up.

"It's been a bad season, so lets brush it under the carpet and start again properly next season."


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2015/april/20/burn-reaction?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham boss Kit Symons puts Hugo Rodallega deal on hold

Fulham manager Kit Symons has revealed that he has not yet offered a new deal to striker Hugo Rodallega.

The 29-year-old has not made an appearance for the Cottagers since March, which has led to speculation over his future with the West London side.

Symons says that he wants to get the Championship season out of the way before deciding on Rodallega's situation.

"I want to make sure we are safely in the Championship first," Symons told Get West London. "I don't want to take my eye off the short term aim, but once it's mathematical certainty, we'll be looking to plan ahead.

"There's no decision been made on Hugo."

Fulham are sitting 18th in the Championship with two games left to play.


http://www.sportsmole.co.uk/football/fulham/transfer-talk/news/symons-puts-rodallega-deal-on-hold_218231.html

[WhiteJC]

 
John Powls: Boro's solid foundations will be equally important against Fulham

John Powls is full of praise for Boro's 'brave, brilliant and battling  Carrow caging of The Canaries'

It's not so much 'squeaky bum time' as 'Nurse! The screens' as the ever closer four into two won't go fracas forged on with a terrible and thrilling fascination for those most closely involved.

In the two game shoot out to come the even tighter margins mean that the picture has simplified to must win both for all four.

Watford's weekend win took them ahead by a point – the slippierest spot on a very slippy pole - whilst the down to ten Cherries were partly picked by The Owls and dropped to second with a home draw.

Before that Boro had another twenty hour turn at the top after a brave, brilliant and battling Carrow caging of The Canaries on Friday evening but found themselves third on goal difference come Saturday teatime.

The Reds earned the points in the last top four head to head of the campaign with a mustard hot opening fifteen that got them what turned out to be the winner followed by a magnificent rearguard action from their magnificent rearguard.

For all the home side's hour of huff and puff they ran into the blind alleys Karanka's organisation planned them to and once there they played into Boro's strengths.

Their 'pecking the mirror' pressure never caused anything like panic or looked like penetrating.

For the whole of the second half Dimi had the luxury of being an appreciative observer of the big red bus of a back six parked in front of him.

So, Boro had all the intensity they needed in their defending but once again the oft-mentioned 'ruth' was still lacking from their attacking.

The game should have been put beyond Norwich in a first fifteen when they didn't know what hit them or which way to turn but they only conceded an oggie forced by Red insistence.

The Teessiders had at least three more clear chances for more comfort after that but couldn't make them count.

Those included one that, however hobbled, Bam-Bam had to be very creative to miss when he got through on Ruddy after a neat one two with Tomlin but skewed wide trying to us the outside of his left foot to finish from five yards.

With the injuries to Vossen and his strike partner Karanka's judgements on subbing looked somewhat suspect but were justified by the twenty-twenty of hindsight.

As they say, the only thing that matters at this stage is the end not the means and Boro did the biz in a do or die encounter.

I felt it was important that the litany of great news on the night started with a team sheet that featured first picks throughout.

Leadbelter returned, Boro's best centre back pairing of Dani and Ben were restored to be joint MotM and Albert Adomah was retained despite injury concerns in the week.

That sort of solid foundation will be equally important for the trial by The Thames to come next Saturday.

The DiasBoro will be casting anxious eyes at the notices from the treatment room for Bamford and Vossen with reassurance needed that Dani came through his return unscathed and Albert can be patched up to go again.

With Kalas signing off after another very decent right back showing in the Norwich game, some good news on Fredericks' fitness would be most welcome too.

I don't think we need to worry about Dimi despite his added time encore of the last act of Swan Lake which he also featured – not for the first time - against Wolves!

Given the terms of his loan, Amorebieta won't be available so the way would be clear for Ken to rejoin the bench back in his West London stamping ground.


http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/john-powls-boros-solid-foundations-9080488?

[WhiteJC]

 
Loan watch

. . . a round-up of Swans players out on loan

Jazz Richards made a crucial goal-line clearance as Fulham moved to within a point of safety in the Championship thanks to a 1-0 win at relegated Blackpool.

The Wales full-back raced back to deny Nathan Delfouneso after he had beaten keeper Marcus Bettinelli, with Richards' intervention proving a key moment for Kit Symons' side as they now require just a point from their remaining two games to guarantee Championship survival.

They will, however, be safe from relegation if third-bottom Millwall fail to beat Blackburn at Ewood Park on Tuesday night.



Read more at http://www.swanseacity.net/news/article/loan-watch-2413392.aspx#Zj4oQx5CajJto7jH.99

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham React to Chelsea`s Bettinelli Interest
   
It would appear that Chelsea reputed attempts to lure the Fulham goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli to Stamford Bridge, as Petr Cech`s replacement, have brought a response from our neighbours down the road.

It is being reported that in response to Chelsea`s reputed interest Fulham Football Club are set to offer Marcus Bettinelli a new and improved contract.

If that is the case then the youngster will have to decide:-

1 - Whether he accepts Fulham`s offer and remains at Craven Cottage knowing he will get regular first team football.

2 - Whether to jump ship and join one of the elite Premier League clubs knowing that in his role as understudy to Thibaut Courtois he may not get the game time he desires.

If my memory recalls correctly, Chelsea went after a similar young goalkeeper several years ago who faced a similar dilemma.

Jack Butland, the keeper in question, chose not to join Chelsea Football Club and instead moved elsewhere where he was subsequently sent out on loan to Birmingham City. Today Butland is understudy to Asmir Begovic, at Stoke City.

I wonder which path Marcus Bettinelli will choose?


Read more: http://www.chelsea.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=552817#ixzz3XrT1lp7X

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham Make Moves to Keep Bettinelli
   
With the news having broken that Chelsea Football Club are interested in our young first choice keeper, Marcus Bettinelli, are moves afoot to ensure we don`t lose the talented keeper to a Premier League big-boy.

The reason I ask is that articles are appearing in various news sources suggesting Bettinelli is to be offered a new, improved contract to remain on the staff at Craven Cottage.

Unfortunately, the fear is that having heard that there Premier League interest in him, Bettinelli, despite being a level-headed young man, might have had his head turned.

If that is the case the youngster will need to decide whether he sticks around in our part of London or whether he skips down the road to Stamford Bridge or any other Premier League club that has been alerted to his possible availability.

Hopefully it is the former and he remains on site for several years to come, but I fear the worst!


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=397217#ixzz3XrTF8prr

[WhiteJC]

 
U18s: Fulham 2-2 Bolton

Young Whites denied all three points at the death against Fulham on Saturday

Wanderers' Under-18s were denied all three points late on as their Fulham counterparts twice came from behind to snatch a share of the spoils in the youngsters' latest league outing.

Making the trip down to the capital off the back of an impressive victory over Arsenal last time out, the Whites started the game brightly and were able to put the Cottagers under pressure from the outset.

The tirade of attacks were proving difficult to handle for the hosts and Bolton were soon able to capitalise on Elijah Adebayo's hesitation, with the Fulham man losing possession only for Tyrell Palmer to turn the ball home from six yards after collecting Tyler Garratt's cross.

No more than Wanderers deserved, the Craven Cottage youngsters were back on level terms within ten minutes as, following a foul on Aaron Redford in the area, Fulham were awarded a spot-kick which Redford himself calmly dispatched past Will Jaaskelainen.

The home side then rattled the woodwork through Stephen Humphrys with his looping header crashing against the crossbar, but the Whites restored their lead after the restart as Garratt turned goalscorer, powering down the left flank before firing home from ten yards.

From thereon in, Fulham threw men forward in a bid to force an equaliser – one which eventually came deep into stoppage time as Redford was again felled in the box, with the Cottagers pulling themselves level as the youngster drilled home to secure a point at the death.

Speaking following the final whistle, coach David Lee praised his side's application despite an ultimately disappointing result in the capital.

"It was disappointing to concede so late on, but the overall performance of the squad as a whole was very pleasing," he said. "After a long journey and a very early start with five hours on the road, I was happy with the commitment and desire shown by the players.

"They worked very hard throughout the duration of the game and worked hard to ultimately come away with a result, although we feel that we would have been more than worth the three points had we held out.

"On top of all that, we had three Under-16s involved in the team again which will offer them a good experience for next season and beyond."

Bolton: Jaaskelainen, Spooner, Lonsdale, Phillips, Honeyball, Griffiths (Allen (Earing)), Cvetko, Garratt, Palmer, McKenna (Abbotts), White


Read more at http://www.bwfc.co.uk/news/article/u18s-fulham-2-2-bolton-2413748.aspx#3yihjzeZET2keTp0.99

[WhiteJC]

 
Alcohol banned on board trains back from London after Boro's game at Fulham

Fans will not be able to take booze on East Coast services after 6pm after the game at Craven Cottage

Boro fans travelling on trains back from London after the club's crucial clash with Fulham this weekend will not be allowed to take booze on board.

East Coast trains will be running alcohol-free after the game at Craven Cottage on Saturday.

A spokeswoman for British Transport Police said dry trains will be implemented by rail operator East Coast from 6pm on Saturday for all trains heading north from King's Cross.

Security staff are expected to inspect passengers at King's Cross.

More than 4,000 Boro fans are expected to travel to Fulham for the game, which kicks off at 3pm.

The clash is Boro's last away game of the season.

They take on Brighton at home the following week in the last home game.


http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/alcohol-banned-board-trains-back-9083602?

[WhiteJC]

 
The Craven Corner: Lucky Fulham need offseason overhaul after scraping Blackpool win


Matt Smith of Fulham (Photo by Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images)
Our Fulham blogger is relieved after Fulham all but guaranteed their place in the Championship for next season, but sees big changes ahead.

The main outcome from Saturday was that Fulham got three points, despite another poor performance away to Blackpool. Credit to the hosts, who put in a decent display and had the better chances even though they had nothing to play for.

Jamie O'Hara pulled the strings for them throughout the game and provided that creativity in the centre that is clearly lacking in this Fulham side. With O'Hara potentially being available on the cheap in the summer, I'd be surprised if he isn't signed by another Championship side.

The positives were that Fulham kept a clean sheet and that doesn't surprise me considering Dan Burn's return to the team and the partnership that has started to form with him, Michael Turner and James Husband at the back.

If we can sign Turner and Husband on permanent deals for next season I'd be pleased. We've looked a stronger unit with Turner and Burn commanding the side and with Husband finally looking like the answer to our left back issues, it's a no brainer - they should be snapped up.

Sadly over the course of 90 minutes, Fulham didn't really create much but then again Kit Symonds did not select a creative midfielder from the start to provide that much needed cutting edge. While Danny Guthrie possesses a good range of passing he cannot split defences like Bryan Ruiz.

With a midfield four of Ryan Tunnicliffe, Tim Hoogland, Sean Kavanagh and Guthrie, Fulham basically defended for most of the match and luckily Matt Smith scored when he was finally provided with some service.

One positive we can take to build on from this poor season is the partnership of Ross McCormack and Matt Smith. Fulham now have two strikers of the highest calibre with a natural connection, and that could be priceless with a bit of luck and a new creative midfielder next season.

It also seems that Dan Burn is a mainstay in defence and hopefully a longer deal is on its way for him shortly. Finally, while Patrick Roberts is yet to sign on the dotted line, reports suggest Marcus Bettinelli has been offered a new deal, which is great news.

The Whites are still not 100 per cent safe with Millwall's game in hand, but if they fail to secure all three points Fulham can start planning the summer overhaul. Sadly, I can't see us picking up any more points from our remaining games and the board should act fast this summer in getting the players and managerial staff we need to actually have a season to proud of.

Fulham have been lucky this season and a few players have won points on their own, but certain members of the team are simply not good enough. I would not be be surprised to see as many as six debutants starting the first game of next season.


http://www.london24.com/sport/football/clubs/fulham/the_craven_corner_lucky_fulham_need_offseason_overhaul_after_scraping_blackpool_win_1_4041358

[WhiteJC]

 
The Demise of Fulham Football Club

It has been another disastrous season at Fulham and they aren't fully safe from a second successive relegation.

Relegated from the Premier League only last season, the Cottagers have struggled to adapt to life in the Championship and have spent much of this campaign in the bottom half of the table.

It is not what Fulham fans have come accustom to. Prior to relegation last season, they had relatively been a solid Premier League team, which included four top half finishes in 13 seasons in the top flight.

It peaked under now England manager Roy Hodgson as he oversaw arguably the most successful season in the club's history as they reached the Europa League final in 2010, beating teams like Hamburg, Juventus and Basel on the way only to lose to Atletico Madrid in extra-time in the final.

Under the ownership of Mohamed Al Fayed, who bought the club in 1997, Fulham went from Division Two (now League One) to the Premier League in five seasons – giving the club top-flight status for the first time since 1968.

Al Fayed sold the club for £150m to billionaire car-parts entrepreneur Shahid Khan in July 2013 but things began to go downhill.

A slow start to the season saw Martin Jol sacked in December after two and a half years at the helm only to be replaced by Rene Meulensteen, who was appointed the club's head coach a month prior.

Meulensteen was allowed to stamp his authority on the squad in the January transfer window, including £11m on Greece striker Kostas Mitroglou – who has only played three times for Fulham since his move – but results were still poor and the Dutchman was shown the door in February.

His replacement was former Bayern Munich coach Felix Magath, a German who had a reputation as a survival specialist in the Bundesliga and known for his disciplinary methods.

But Magath could not stop the rot as the Cottagers were relegated from the Premier League after a 4-1 defeat at Stoke City.

Fulham fan Frankie Taylor believes issues from previous years contributed to the club's demise from the Premier League:

In hindsight, we should have seen Mohamed Al Fayed's exit coming because the money was drying up. Our transfer philosophy was just seeing out each year with ageing players on high wages who were perhaps lacking in motivation".

We weren't bringing in any real quality, let alone players with future selling potential, Martin Jol simply didn't have the money available to think in the long term and provide Fulham with a future beyond each year".

We couldn't 'afford' the players that other sides were signing, which actually translates to Al Fayed not being willing to spend the money to improve the side as you don't continue to invest in something that you no longer want."

Magath oversaw an overhaul of the playing squad last summer – letting an alarming total of 23 players leave the club – spending an eye-watering £11m on Leeds United striker Ross McCormack and making signings that were really below the standard for the level of football; like Mark Fotheringham for example – a 30-year-old midfielder whose CV includes clubs like Notts County, Ross County, Dundee and Livingston.

Players like Bryan Ruiz and Dan Burn as well as others were banished to the development squad never to be seen in the first team under his tenure.

Stories were coming out in the press of his draconian style of management which included three training sessions in a day during pre-season.

Former defender Brede Hangeland, who was with the club for six years, claimed he was informed by email that a clause had been triggered to end his contract. Hangeland, now at Crystal Palace, took a swipe at Magath after his departure: "his main tool is to try to mentally and physically batter his players" said the Norwegian to the Daily Mail.

Life in the Championship couldn't have got off to a worse start under Magath. The club had just one point from the first eight matches and sat at the bottom of the table. His team selections were confusing at best which led to Fulham fans creating a game on Twitter called #FelixBingo, which involved guessing who would play every week.

"It seemed to be a different name making a debut weekly." said Frankie. "He had excellent public relation skills, he would say the right things in interviews and online to keep you onside, but at the end of the day he was poison, but maybe our football club needed a bit of poison."

Magath was shown the door in September and even more bizarre stories appeared in the press after his departure, including telling a player to treat a leg injury by rubbing cheese on the sore area.

If any positives to come out of the Magath reign, other than how not to run a football club, is that he gave the youngsters a chance at Craven Cottage but that ultimately left the squad unbalanced.

Our summer transfer window was naive. We didn't bring in enough Championship experienced players, as talented as our youngsters are, it's a huge ask for them to get us promoted alongside two or three older players.

We're up there in terms of using the most players this season, and we've also got one of the youngest squads in the division – the squad isn't just inexperienced, it's unsettled as well which has been a big feature of our failings this year.

The Fulham chairman Shahid Khan has also come in for some criticism as former owner Mohamed Al Fayed labelled Khan an "absent landlord" after he blamed Al Fayed for the club's relegation from the Premier League.

It's been a rocky road under the new ownership and naturally we've seen rookie decisions made." said supporter Frankie.

"It felt as though the football club could run itself, we were profiting and had just clinched the highest grossing sponsorship deal in the clubs history – all we needed was investment on pitch."

Khan turned to academy coach Kit Symons to steady the ship after Magath's sacking and after a run of five wins in nine matches, Symons was appointed manager until the end of the season.

The former Fulham defender got the club off the bottom of the league and they now have a good chance of staying up although they aren't out of the woods yet.

But whether Symons remains in charge next reason remains to be seen as rumours continue to circle about a change of manager at Craven Cottage at the end of the season with Brentford manager Mark Warburton and West Ham boss Sam Allardyce both linked with the job.

Off the field Fulham have appointed Mike Rigg as Chief Football Officer and the club look to be making signs of moving forward.

"Khan has begun to shown real signs of learning as we've moved on" said Frankie. "Firstly with appointing a five-man panel to look for the next manager (although we stuck with who was in place anyway), I think that move showed that he accepts that the club needs an "expert" to oversee the on-pitch part of the football club.

"We've now appointed Mike Rigg as our Chief Football Officer which is another strong looking move and he has brought in some Championship knowhow in Michael Turner, Danny Guthrie and James Husband since coming in which has made us look a better team.

"In recent weeks we've started grinding some points out which should see us safe. Had it not been the tremendous run of form soon after Kit Symons appointment we'd have been goners, but we'll just about scrape another (and hopefully better) year in the Championship."


http://threeandin.com/the-demise-of-fulham-football-club/?