Friday Fulham Stuff 17.07.15

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TEAM PREVIEW: Fulham – Les Strong wants to see club's youth thrive



The last few years couldn't have gone much worse for Fulham. From a stable side in the Premier League, the Cottagers were relegated from the Premier League and at one point looked like they were on their way to League One. Kit Symons has steadied the ship and will now turn his attentions towards the top end of the division.
Last Season: Championship (17th)
Manager: Kit Symons

Squad
GKs: Marcus Bettinelli, Jesse Joronen, Andy Lonergan
DFs: Shaun Hutchinson, Fernando Amorebieta, Nikolay Bodurov, Tiago Casasola, Sean Kavanagh, Dan Burn, Jack Grimmer, Cameron Burgess, Jazz Richards
MFs: Thomas Eisfeld, Scott Parker, Alexander Kacaniklic, Kay Voser, Ryan Tunnicliffe, Lasse Vigen Christensen, Emerson Hyndman, Ryan Williams, Tom Cairney, Ben Pringle, Jamie O'Hara
FWs: Matt Smith, Patrick Roberts, Cauley Woodrow, Adam Taggart, Konstantinos Mitroglou, Moussa Dembele, George Williams, Ross McCormack

Transfers
In: Tom Cairney (Blackburn Rovers), Jazz Richards (Swansea City), Andy Lonergan (Bolton Wanderers), Ben Pringle (Rotherham United), Jamie O'Hara (Blackpool)
Out: Tom Richards (Aldershot Town), Hugo Rodallega (Released), Tim Hoogland (Bochum), Gabor Kiraly (Szom Haladas), Chris David (Released), Adil Chihi (Released), Josh Passley (Released), Jonathan Buatu Mananga (Waasland-Beveren), Noe Baba (Released), Maarten Stekelenburg (Southampton – Loan), Stephen Arthurworrey (Yeovil Town – Loan), Bryan Ruiz (Sporting Lisbon)

First Six: Cardiff City (A), Brighton & Hove Albion (H), Hull City (A), Huddersfield Town (H), Rotherham United (A), Blackburn Rovers (H)
Likely Lineup: (4-3-3) Betinelli – Hutchinson, Burn, Amorebieta, Richards – Tunnicliffe, Christensen, Cairney – Pringle, McCormack, Roberts

A word from...Les Strong

On his close bond with Fulham I joined in 1969 as a kid, George Cohen was my first manager and I left about 1984, so I was there 15 years. It's a fantastic club, the ground is really nice, a really old-fashioned place with modern facilities and the atmosphere is fantastic.
I went back as a catering manager after I retired and now I've been doing hospitality for the last 15 years, so I've been with the club on and off nearly half a century.

On struggles for consistency The peak for us was '75 when we got to the cup final, it was disappointing the year after that to not buy players and capitalise on that. There was money available that could have got us up to the top division but it never happened.

In the 80s we went down to the old third division with a really good team. Gerry Peyton, Gordon Davies and players like that. It was a surprise for us to get relegated but we did come back within 12 months and under Malcolm McDonald we were unlucky not to go up again straight away to the top division. But it's a fantastic club to be involved with and we've had some superb players here over the years, the like of George Best, George Cohen, Rodney Marsh etc.

On similarities to the current team The Championship has always been a tough league to get out of, you've got good teams coming up and good teams coming down, it really is a fantastic league and I'd love to be involved in it!

It is similar, every game is like a cup final and it's a real challenge to get back up to the Premier League once you're in it. This season we've already brought in four or five players and I think the club is in a much healthier position now.

On what's gone wrong so quickly I think we held on to a few players a bit too long. Alex Ferguson was fantastic at that transition, we had quite an ageing team and we never really got on with that transition. We allowed them to age without bringing in younger players so I think the writing was on the wall the year before.

Those players did fantastic for us, they got us into Europe but things got stale, players moved on and players were ready for retirement, managers were coming and going and we just never made that transition into the new era. Once you go down it's so hard to get back up too.

On going back to basics I think we've identified that we need players who are experienced at that level. The Championship is a different ball game, you've got to fight for everything and if you don't you won't win the game.

To bring in players who know that and have experienced that is important and Kit's identified that. Hopefully that means we can hit the ground running, you don't want to take five or six games to gel, you want to be up the top straight away with momentum and ensuring we've given ourselves a chance.

On the academy graduates Our academy is incredible, we've brought some great players through. Going back to my era, even then we had five or six players from the academy in the side.

The only problem is you can push too many through at once but now I think we have a nice mixture of youth and experience. Christensen had a superb year last year but we don't want to be constantly experimenting, relying on a large amount of kids will be difficult but I think we're starting to find a good blend between the young players and experienced Championship players. The fans love it too, seeing young players come through our own academy.

On Kit Symons He came in at a really difficult time, we'd lost the first six or seven games, we were rock bottom and cut adrift. He came in and got some fantastic results straight away, it's going to be a tough job for him and I know fans were frustrated with the fact we were losing so many games.

I think we let around 90 goals in including cup games which is unacceptable but Kit started to stabilise things and I think he can push on this season with a more settled squad. I think it was unrealistic to believe we would challenge last season but now he's got players who want to play for the club and will be fighting for their places.

The Offside Rule Podcast Prediction: Fulham can expect a much more solid season this time around, the likes of Ben Pringle and Tom Cairney have impressed in the Championship and Kit Symons appears to be putting together a good squad.

Key Player: Ross McCormack – He didn't hit the ground running last season but any team that goes up has a 20 goal striker. McCormack is just that, if he can get off to a good start then he'll be crucial to the Cottagers.

One to Watch: Emerson Hyndman – He was a key part of Fulham's team at the start of last season and was one of the few good performers in a struggling team. He featured little under Symons later in the season but the American has enough talent to break back into the first team.

http://offsiderulepodcast.com/2015/07/16/team-preview-fulham-les-strong/?

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Liverpool 'hijack Manchester City's Patrick Roberts transfer deal'



Revenge! Liverpool hijack Man City's deal for forward in epic twist to Sterling deal
Patrick Roberts is subject of a transfer bidding war (Picture: Getty)
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers is seeking revenge on Manchester City – by looking to scupper Manuel Pellegrini's move for Fulham forward Patrick Roberts.

City completed the £49million purchase of Raheem Sterling this week after lengthy negotiations with the Reds.

Rodgers was determined not to sell one of his prized assets but conceded defeat in keeping the 20-year-old at Anfield after the forward threatened to skip the club's pre-season tour to Asia.

However, the Reds have now moved to hijack City's move for Roberts and are confident of sealing a deal for the £10m youngster, according to reports.

Read more: http://metro.co.uk/2015/07/16/liverpool-hijack-manchester-citys-patrick-roberts-transfer-deal-5298664/#ixzz3g9ZSDFiu

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Celtic join the race for Manchester United target

As featured on NewsNow: Football NewsFootball News 24/7
Scottish champions Celtic are considering making a move for Manchester United and Liverpool target Patrick Roberts, according to FLW sources.



The highly-rated Fulham winger has been heavily linked with a move away from Craven Cottage this summer with reports of a tug-of-war between Manchester City and Liverpool for the England Under-19 international.

United are lurking in the background while Celtic are also monitoring the situation, as with a year left on his contract, the Glasgow club could steal the player on the cheap next summer as French giants Paris Saint-Germain were considering doing so as reported in the Daily Mail.

The 18-year-old, who has been rated at £10million in national newspapers, rejected the offer of a new contract of £5,000-a-week from Fulham, but the Cottagers are desperate to keep the youngster at the club and manager Kit Symons believes it would be best for his development to stay with the West London outfit.

The Championship side are holding out for around £10million but if Roberts fail to sign a new deal, then they may lose their star asset for a tribunal-fixed fee.

What do you make to the news Fulham fans? Let us know in the comments section below!

Read more at http://footballleagueworld.co.uk/celtic-join-the-race-for-manchester-united-target/?#t1mI8OIVHAK3krmr.99

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Report suggests Welsh international Jazz Richards snubbed Villa and Norwich this summer for one reason



Former Swansea City defender Jazz Richards reportedly snubbed interest from Aston Villa and Norwich City for Championship side Fulham.

According to getwestlondon, Jazz Richards snubbed interest from Aston Villa and Norwich City because he felt comfortable at Fulham following his loan move there from Swansea City last season.

The report states that the 24-year-old ignored interest from Villa and Norwich to join the Whites from Swansea for a deal worth £500,000 and boss Kit Symons played a major part in making him feel at home.

"Knowing I only had a year left at Swansea, it was the right time to get out and get some games," Richards explained to getwestlondon. "The lads when I come here; you could see the bonds we had and long may that continue.

"Knowing the manager and how good he is and the back room staff - it's a comfortable place for me."

Would Richards have been a good signing for Villa or Norwich?

It's fair to say Richards had never established himself as a proven Premier League defender and was often in-and-out the Swansea team.

For a Premier League side to take a chance on Richards, it would have been a big gamble as he has shown little in the past that suggests he can develop into a top quality full-back in the future.

SEE ALSO: Aston Villa are ahead of Sunderland as Sky Bet's favourite to sign England international

For Fulham, however, Richards represents a player that should be able to play a key role in a Championship side. He performed admirably while on loan to the West London club last season, but fans will now be expecting more of him.

Next season, he should get a regular run of games throughout the campaign which is something he has never had in his career.

Do you think Richards would have been a good signing for Villa or Norwich?

http://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2015/07/16/sp-report-suggests-welsh-international-jazz-richards-snubbed-vil/?

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Dembélé's Semi-Final Despair



Two very late Spain goals sent France crashing out of the UEFA Under-19 Championship at the Semi-Final stage on Thursday.

It was a tight battle between the two sides with very little to separate them, and so France introduced Moussa Dembélé as a 72nd minute substitute to try and turn the tide in their favour.

But it was Spain who edged in front with just two minutes of normal time remaining when Real Madrid midfielder Marco Asensio collected a loose French pass and ran at the defence before finding the corner of the net.

France then had to go for broke and, as a result, left gaps – one of which was exploited by Asensio in the fifth minute of stoppage time to confirm Spain's place in the Final, where they will meet Russia.

http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2015/july/17/dembeles-semi-final-despair?

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Crawley Factfile



Fulham's first official pre-season friendly ahead of the 2015/16 campaign sees us travel to Crawley Town's Checkatrade.com Stadium on Saturday afternoon (3pm).

The opposition

Following their relegation to Sky Bet League Two last season, Crawley made the move to appoint former Kidderminster Harriers and Cheltenham Town boss Mark Yates as their new manager.

The summer has seen a number of players depart the club, including former Fulham defender Dean Leacock, while Yates has brought in four players on free transfers; Simon Walton, Joe McNerney, Shamir Fenelon and Luke Rooney. They began their pre-season campaign with a 4-0 win over non-league outfit Burgess Hill on Wednesday, with trialist Roarie Deacon, Fenelon and Izale McLeod (2), pictured, on target.

Getting there

Fans can take a direct train from London Victoria which gets you to Crawley Station in around 45 minutes. Alternatively, trains from London Bridge take around an hour. The Checkatrade.com Stadium is then just over a mile away from the train station.

Tickets

Supporters can buy tickets from the ground at advertised turnstiles. These are priced at £10 for adults, £5 for over-65s and fans aged 21 and under, and £1 for under-11s.

Weather

The Met Office predicts dry spells with cloud cover in Crawley at kick-off. The temperate will be around 21˚.

Previous meeting

Have a watch of last season's pre-season fixture at Broadfield, when goals in quick succession from Kostas Stafylidis and Hugo Rodallega earned Fulham a 2-0 win.

http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2015/july/17/crawley-factfile?

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Jazz Richards - It Was The Right Time To Leave

Jazz Richards is another one of those players who has a big season ahead of him with regular football and a possible major international finals lying ahead.

Richards left Swansea this summer to sign for Fulham where he spent time on loan last season and know that he made the right decision to leave the club where he has been since he was a kid.

First team opportunities were - and probably were always likely to be - limited for Richards and that is something he cannot afford at this point in time.

With Wales seemingly heading towards a first international finals since 1958, it is important for Jazz to be playing first team football and, despite reported interest from Premier League clubs, it was Fulham who gained his signature for a fee believed to be around £500,000.

Speaking to the London press, Richards said "Knowing I only had a year left at Swansea, it was the right time to get out and get some games

"The lads when I come here; you could see the bonds we had and long may that continue.

"Knowing the manager and how good he is and the back room staff - it's a comfortable place for me."

Richard last game before leaving Swansea was actually for Wales where he starred in their 1-0 win over Belgium, the result that effectively propelled them t clear favourites to make it to France next summer

"That was one of my best highlights so far," he added.

"We've not done it yet: we've still got three games to play. So, it's about getting game time for your club and going on to play for your country, but it's looking strong to go to France (for the finals in 2016)."

http://www.fansnetwork.co.uk/football/swanseacity/news/39300/?

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Trophy Presentation

George Gosling was the lucky Junior fan who won the opportunity to come in to present Ross McCormack with his Player of the Season trophy.

The seven-year-old Junior Season Ticket Holder won Billy the Badger's Fulham Moments Competition by sending in memories from his favourite Whites game, as well as sharing a few of his football jokes for the players.

Have a watch below of George meeting Ross, and presenting him with the trophy.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sd5Xi8ynDcE

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Euro Evaluation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGj1Z4f5pfc

Lasse Vigen Christensen and Marcus Bettinelli discuss their recent UEFA European Under-21 Championship experiences, before turning their attention to Fulham matters.