Thursday Fulham Stuff 14.05.15

[Friendsoffulham]

Fulham, others want Dele Alli on loan

A number of clubs in the EPL and English Championship hope they could sign Nigerian-born England youth international Dele Alli on loan next season if Tottenham Hotspur will not guarantee him first-team action.

Alli joined Tottenham from MK Dons for a fee of five million pounds and was loaned back to the team for the completion of the 2014/2015 season, where he helped the team secure championship promotion by netting 16 goals in the process.

According to the report in The Sun of UK, Fulham, Charlton Athletic and Brentford who are hopeful of EPL promotion as they play in the playoffs as well as MK Dons want the youngster on loan next season.

The enterprising midfielder's ability is not in doubt as he has the potential to make him excel in the EPL for Tottenham

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino said he signed him to be part of his first-team next season because he feels he has got the potential to 'play at the highest level now.

http://africanfootball.com//news/531384/Fulham-others-want-Dele-Alli-on-loan

[Friendsoffulham]

Pantsil's Second Home



John Pantsil cannot wait to feature in the All Star Charity match next Saturday at Craven Cottage – a place he recognises as his 'second home.'

The Ghana international joined Fulham from West Ham United in a joint-transfer with Bobby Zamora in July 2008 and went on to help the Whites to a highest-ever finish of seventh, before playing his part in our UEFA Europa League adventure.

"My time at Fulham was fantastic," he told the official website. "There's nothing I could say against the Club. Fulham is the team that makes me who I am.

"It will always be my second home. My first home is in Ghana but I've always said that Craven Cottage is my second home.

"For me, any time I can come to Fulham, if I get an invitation, I won't hesitate because I like the Club, I like the people around the Club, especially the fans – they'll always be my priority."

During his three years in SW6, Pantsil was the definition of a fans' favourite with his committed approach and the emotion he showed in each game.

Just before kick-off in every match he'd raise his arms and bow his head in a silent prayer, and he'd celebrate a positive result with a lap of honour around the pitch following the final whistle.

And he's promised the Fulham faithful similar scenes on Saturday 23rd May.

"Definitely, we will do it!" John confirmed. "I'll always give the lap of honour to the fans because it's something that I'll never forget. I'll give it to them.

"I think it was very good between me and the Fulham fans – we had a very, very, very good relationship. I still chat with them on Facebook all the time.

"I hope a lot of fans come down to the charity event so I can interact with them and see them again, because I miss them. I cannot wait to meet the fans and talk with them."

It's more than four years since Pantsil last pulled on a Fulham shirt, but he has been keeping a close eye on the Club ever since.

"I've been following Fulham since I left," he said. "So first when I was playing for Leicester, then back in Israel, and now in South Africa.

"I've been watching their progress all the time, and I've also been keeping in touch with some of the guys there to know what's happening with the Club.

"So me coming back to support the charity, I think is a great thing. I'm happy. It will be very nice to come back and I'm looking forward to it."

At 33, Pantsil will be one of the youngest members of the Fulham All Stars squad next week, and comes into the game on the back of his new club's most successful campaign.

"I'm playing in South Africa for a team called Maritzburg United," he explained. "Things are going so good. For many years they've been chasing top eight and we've been able to finish eighth this season, so I'm proud of that.

"I'm still enjoying my football and I've still got more to go. The confidence and the speed is still there so I'm very happy."

While Whites fans will remember Pantsil as a marauding full-back, he occupies a new role for Maritzburg – although he's targeting a more forward position next week in the hope of netting at the Cottage for the first time.

"Now I'm playing at centre-back," he revealed. "It's been good – I've played 30 games there, the whole season, and kept quite a few clean sheets. But in the charity game I think I'll be playing as an attacker! I have to get a goal this time!"

http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2015/may/13/pantsils-second-home

[Friendsoffulham]

Former Leeds striker Ross McCormack: How I rate my debut Fulham season

ROSS MCCORMACK is pleased with his season's work despite Fulham's lacklustre campaign.



The Whites caused a stir last summer by handing Leeds a reported £11m for the Scottish striker.

But they struggled to recover from a shocking start to the season, rarely troubled the top-half of the table and limped home in 17th.

McCormack's impressive 19-goal haul was crucial to helping Fulham avoid a second-successive relegation and he is keen to kick on next season.

He said: "At the start of the season I'd planned on maybe getting around 15 goals.

"I got 19 and, to be honest, I've not really played up top too often so it's personally been a good season for myself and one I'll be looking to better next season.

"At the end of the season you wish you could have done a bit more and if I could have done a bit more we probably wouldn't have been where we were."

    "Personally been a good season for myself"
    Ross McCormack

Fulham were one of the favourites to clinch promotion so a relegation battle angered fans.

A fire sale last summer left the squad light on experienced bodies and young players such as Lasse Vigen Christensen, George Williams and Cauley Woodrow were forced to step up to the plate.

McCormack believes the extensive transfer rebuild left them with an uphill battle from day one but he is confident the experience of a difficult campaign has toughened up the squad.

He said: "I think at the start of the season it was always going to be difficult when we let so many senior players go.

"It's hard to replace the players that we let go but I think when Kit came in we went on a little run - I think we got 28 points in 14 games, which if we kept going we would have been in the play-offs but, unfortunately, we couldn't do that and it probably caught up with us."

He added: "After the season we've had confidence is probably low and rightly so.

"We've taken a few hidings this year but we beat Derby and Norwich and we've shown with this squad that if we play as we can then we're good enough to beat teams. I think that's got to be the aim next year.

"I can't be standing here next year talking about a bottom-half finish again because that's not acceptable."

http://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/441888/Former-Leeds-striker-Ross-McCormack-How-rate-debut-Fulham-season

[Friendsoffulham]

Fulham stick with Symons

Sky sources understand Kit Symons will remain Fulham's manager for next season.



There has been speculation he would be replaced after the club - widely tipped for promotion after the recruitment of Ross McCormack for £11m last summer - struggled to get out of the bottom half of the table.

But sources have told Sky Sports News HQ that he is staying put - after Fulham finished 17th, 11 points above the relegation zone. Symons took charge in September after the dismissal of Felix Magath.

Symons made more than 100 League appearances for each of his first three clubs – Portsmouth, Manchester City and Fulham.

He played for Fulham until December 2001, when he moved to Crystal Palace for £400,000, the club at which he finished his playing career after 59 appearances.

http://www.football365.com/fulham/9848623/-

[Friendsoffulham]

Kit Symons to remain Fulham manager according to reports.


Reports are emerging that Kit Symons will be brought back to manage Fulham again for next season.

According to published reports and Sky, Fulham are going to bring Kit Symons back for the 2016/17 season. This might come as a shock to some supporters as the swoon to end the season really brought his lack of experience into focus. However, if these reports are true, the board seems to have confidence in him. The question is though, should they?

It can never be said too many times that Felix Magath dug the team a hole. When Symons took over Fulham had one point, had scored six goals, and conceded eighteen. Let's assume that the 39 fixtures that Symons managed for are a large enough sample to judge him. In those 39 fixtures, Fulham earned 51 points, scored 56 goals, and conceded 65. If you prorate that over a 46 game season, Fulham would have earned 60 points, scored 66 goals, and conceded 77. While that's not great, finishing around 10th would sure look a lot better than finishing 17th.

Of course, that also ignores the fact that much of Magath's transfer business was horrible. Kay Voser, Gabor Kirlay, Mark Fotheringham, and Adil Chihi all contributed next to nothing. Tim Hoogland only managed 1900 minutes. And while Nikolay Bordruv, Shaun Hutchinson, and Kostas Stafylidis all played a lot of minutes; their quality can be summed by the fact that Fulham conceded 83 goals. Clearly there were problems with the defenders. How much better could Fulham have been if Magath had brought in some better defenders?
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I'm guessing there will still be a large portion of the fan base that would like to see someone else come in to manage. However, I'm not sure starting over once again is the best idea. I'm also of the opinion that managers don't matter as much as people think. A great manager is valuable. A horrible manager can destroy a club. But everyone else is just in the middle and will get the results based on the talent in their squad.

So, if Symons is dependent on the talent in his squad, the team should focus on improving that talent as much as possible.

http://cottagersconfidential.sbnation.com/2015/5/13/8601465/kit-symons-to-remain-fulham-manager-according-to-reports

[WhiteJC]

 :bump:

[HatterDon]

Fulham stick with Symons

Sky sources understand Kit Symons will remain Fulham's manager for next season.



There has been speculation he would be replaced after the club - widely tipped for promotion after the recruitment of Ross McCormack for £11m last summer - struggled to get out of the bottom half of the table.

But sources have told Sky Sports News HQ that he is staying put - after Fulham finished 17th, 11 points above the relegation zone. Symons took charge in September after the dismissal of Felix Magath.

Symons made more than 100 League appearances for each of his first three clubs – Portsmouth, Manchester City and Fulham.

He played for Fulham until December 2001, when he moved to Crystal Palace for £400,000, the club at which he finished his playing career after 59 appearances.

http://www.football365.com/fulham/9848623/-

Widely tipped by those who believe strongly in unicorns perhaps, but ... .