Wednesday Fulham Stuff (05/08/15)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Symons warns Fulham squad over Twitter perils after Tunnicliffe ban

Cottagers' boss has moved on after club and FA fines and suspension but repeat offence won't be tolerated



Fulham manager Kit Symons says that he has forgiven Ryan Tunnicliffe for his Twitter mishap but has reminded the squad about their responsibilities on the social network.

The 22-year-old former Manchester United midfielder was punished by both his club and the Football Association for 'aggravated misconduct' towards Chelsea forward Patrick Bamford's sexual orientation.

The FA gave Tunnicliffe a two-match ban and a fine, while the club have also internally dealt with the situation by charging him two weeks wages.

And while Symons insists that the club have a firm policy on social media, he admits that it is up to the players as to how they behave themselves.


Ross McCormack celebrates scoring the first goal for Fulham with Ryan Tunnicliffe (L)

"Well we're very conscious of it," he said of players on social media. "They're given guidelines about what to say and what not to say.

"Obviously it's down to individuals whether they do that in the correct and proper manner."

And the former Fulham defender is willing to forgive and forget in the case of Tunnicliffe, although the midfielder will sit out the matches against Cardiff and Wycombe Wanderers.

He added: "Ryan has made a mistake and he's been punished for it. Other than saying players cannot do any sort of social media, you've got to expect them to use their common sense."


http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/symons-warns-fulham-squad-over-9781079?

[WhiteJC]

 
Ross' Promotion Target

Ross McCormack was happy to be back playing at Craven Cottage in the final pre-season friendly on Saturday, where the Whites secured a draw against Crystal Palace.

And the day was all the more special for the forward as his two-week-old son, Lawson, was there for the very first time to cheer him on.

"It was good to be back at the Cottage," McCormack told fulhamfc.com after the match. "On a personal note my little boy was born two weeks ago and he was here for the first time, so that was good. But it was good to be back and nice of the fans to turn out in some numbers."

McCormack captained the side, which featured all of the Whites' new signings, as they took on the Barclays Premier League team, and held them to a 1-1 draw.

"I think the first half we were very good. Just the final ball at times could be a bit sharper," said McCormack.

"We're still getting to know each other. We've got Luke Garbutt, Jamie O'Hara, Tom Cairney, Ben Pringle and also Kostas Mitroglou coming in, so there's a lot of players who don't really know each other's game. It's going to get better, definitely."

The game comes at the end of a pre-season run that started back on Monday 15th June, when the team arrived at the Whites' Training Ground at Motspur Park for a 'Strong Man' week of fitness, before two trips abroad to Portugal and then Austria.

"I tell you what," said McCormack, "it feels like a long hard pre-season... in a good way. The lads have enjoyed it, and we've worked really hard.

"Portugal was a bit more relaxed. We played a bit of golf between training and the boys went out for a bit of dinner and that. It was a good way for the new lads to settle in.

"Austria was a hard week," he continued "but that was the final hurdle there against Crystal Palace."

With pre-season now behind them, Ross has his attention clearly focused on the 2015/16 season with a determined objective.

Asked what the vibe has been amongst the team, there was no hesitation in his response: "The vibe is that we want to get promoted. If I were to sit here and say we wanted a top-10 finish or top half or whatever, I would be wasting my time, I wouldn't want to be here.

"The aim is to get promoted and whatever way we need to do it, we're going to try to do it. Whether it's winning the league, top-two, Play-Offs, it doesn't really matter."


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2015/august/04/mccormack-target?

[WhiteJC]

 
Transfer Round-Up: Part Two

With the start of the 2015/16 Sky Bet Championship season just around the corner, we take a look at who our rivals have brought in this summer.


Huddersfield Town

Chris Powell has added some experience to his midfield in the guise of Dean Whitehead following his release by Middlesbrough, while Australian left-back Jason Davidson has joined in similar circumstances from West Bromwich Albion. They have spent some cash, though, with striker Jordy Hiwula and midfielder Kyle Dempsey arriving from Manchester City and Carlisle United respectively. Their most recent acquisition saw Martin Cranie join on a free after leaving Barnsley.

Hull City

Most of the transfer activity at the KC Stadium this summer has seen players departing, with Hull receiving significant fees for James Chester, Robbie Brady and Tom Ince. Just three new faces have arrived so far, with Ryan Taylor joining on a free after leaving Newcastle United, midfielder Sam Clucas coming in for a reported £1.3m fee from Chesterfield, and Arsenal forward Chuba Akpom agreeing a season-long loan.

Ipswich Town

As part of the deal that took Tyrone Mings to AFC Bournemouth, Ipswich signed Cherries pair Brett Pitman and Ryan Fraser. The former penned a permanent deal, with Fraser joining on loan for the season. Joining temporarily as well is Ainsley Maitland-Niles, a 17-year-old midfielder from Arsenal. Mick McCarthy has brought former Cardiff City defender Josh Yorweth to Portman Road, as well as Jonas Knudsen as a replacement for Mings. The Danish left-back is supposedly "the new Rory Delap" courtesy of his long-throw ability. Finally, Jonathan Douglas signed on a free transfer from Championship rivals Brentford.

Leeds United

Uwe Rosler has been very active in the summer transfer market, securing the services of Charlie Horton, Lee Erwin and Sol Bamba before June was out – the latter had previously been on loan at Elland Road. Leicester City striker Chris Wood followed on 1st July, Ross Turnbull has been brought in from Barnsley to provide competition in goal, and Stuart Dallas arrived from Brentford to add an extra dimension on the wing.


Middlesbrough

Middlesbrough have made their promotion ambitions abundantly clear with their movements this summer. Bringing Stewart Downing back to his boyhood club represented a real coup, with the England man having impressed in the Premier League for West Ham United last season. He's joined on Teeside by loanees Diego Fabbrini, Tomas Kalas and Jack Stephens, while Alex Baptiste joined on a free from Bolton Wanderers, only to suffer the misfortune of a double leg fracture in pre-season. A deal has also been agreed for the transfer of Espanyol striker Christian Stuani, but the Uruguay international is still waiting on international clearance.

Milton Keynes Dons

Karl Robinson has added former Bayern Munich and Real Madrid players to his squad in the form of Dale Jennings and Cristian Benavente, while Simon Church will be tasked with getting goals following his arrival from Charlton Athletic. Sergio Aguza is another former Real youngster who's swapped Madrid for Milton Keynes, and veteran centre-back Matthew Upson has signed on from Leicester. Coming in from Southampton are goalkeeper Cody Cropper on a free and forward Sam Gallagher on loan, while Rob Hall has also joined on a temporary basis from Bolton Wanderers.

Nottingham Forest

Matthew Mills teams up with his former Bolton manager Dougie Freedman following his free transfer, and the Forest boss has brought in Derby County's Jamie Ward and Cordoba's Daniel Pinillos on similar deals. Ben Hamer comes in on loan from Leicester as fellow goalkeeper Karl Darlow returns to parent club Newcastle United.


Preston North End

Following his blistering season for Preston last term, Jermaine Beckford has now joined permanently after his Bolton contract expired, and he'll be competing for a starting berth with Manchester United striker Will Keane who's been brought in on loan. Sunderland goalkeeper Jordan Pickford has also signed a temporary deal, while Greg Cunningham has joined from fellow promoted side Bristol City for an undisclosed fee.

Queens Park Rangers

Last season's bottom side in the Premier League have been busy over the summer, bringing in no fewer than eight players so far. Swindon Town duo Ben Gladwin and Massimo Luongo joined in May, and were joined the following month by free signings Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, Jamie Mackie and Joseph N'Guessan. July was a more expensive month for QPR, with Sebastian Polter, Tjaronn Chery and James Perch all arriving for seven-figure fees.

Reading

There will be a familiar face when Reading visit the Cottage this season, following their acquisition of former Whites striker Orlando Sa for a reported £1m from Legia Warsaw. Stephen Quinn and Paul McShane have both signed on free transfers from Hull, while Steve Clarke has compensated for the departure of Adam Federici by bringing in goalkeepers Ali Al-Habsi and Jonathan Bond.


Rotherham United

Steve Evans has proved very frugal in the transfer market this summer, bringing in eight players on free transfers. Left-back Joe Mattock was first through the door, and he was soon joined by former Sheffield Wednesday teammates Lewis Buxton and Chris Maguire. Forest pair Greg Halford and Danny Collins will provide options in defence, and Emmanuel Ledesma did enough on loan last season to earn a deal. Finally, Tom Thorpe is a player of real potential who could prove to be a great acquisition from Manchester United. Those freebies have been supplemented by a trio of loan signings, with Kelle Roos and Farrend Rawson coming in from Derby County, and Grant Ward joining from Tottenham Hotspur.

Sheffield Wednesday

After impressing on loan from Watford last season, Lewis McGugan has signed a permanent deal at Sheffield Wednesday for a fee of around £300,000. The Owls have also brought in two forwards from Portuguese side Nacional, Lucas Joao and Marco Matias, as well as free transfers Lewis Price – from Crystal Palace – and Ross Wallace from Burnley. Earlier in the summer, the Owls signed FC Twente defender Darryl Lachman for an undisclosed fee.

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Wolves started their summer business early by securing the services of Portsmouth midfielder Jed Wallace, and he'll be joined in the middle of the park by Conor Coady who cost around £2m from Huddersfield. They've also just announced the signing of Cardiff City striker Adam Le Fondre on a season-long loan.


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2015/august/04/transfer-round-up-part-two?

[WhiteJC]

 
PALACE STRIKER SET FOR EXIT AS FULHAM, BOURNEMOUTH, MIDDLESBROUGH AND QPR LINE UP BIDS
Bournemouth, QPR and Middlesbrough have joined Fulham in the race to sign Dwight Gayle from Crystal Palace.
The former record signing is out-of-favour under Alan Pardew.

Bournemouth, QPR and Middlesbrough have joined Fulham in the race to sign Crystal Palace striker Dwight Gayle.

According to a report by the Daily Mail, the Eagles are looking to sell their reserve striker for a fee in the region of £10m, and all four mentioned clubs are looking to bring in the Englishman.

Palace's former record-signing has been the club's top scorer in each of the two seasons he's spent at Selhurst Park, but has never been able to nail down a place in the starting XI, with only 19 Premier League starts to his name.

Now, with the arrival of Connor Wickham from Sunderland, it's now looking increasingly likely that Gayle will be leaving.

Fulham are hoping to negotiate a loan deal for the striker, but Palace would rather a permanent sale, and have already turned down an offer from Bournemouth who remain keen.

Rangers want Gayle to replace Charlie Austin should he leave the club, but Middlesbrough lead the race as they are able to offer Gayle the strongest wage packet as part of their promotion project.


http://theeagleselement.com/2015/08/04/palace-striker-set-for-exit-as-fulham-bournemouth-middlesbrough-and-qpr-line-up-bids/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Cardiff City Vs Fulham: Match Preview

Opponents: Fulham

Date and Time: Saturday 8th August (12.00)

Venue: Cardiff City Stadium

It's about that time again, when football returns and everything else goes out the window. It seems like an age since we said a temporary goodbye to football back in May but it returns with a bang as the Bluebirds clash against Kit Symons Cottagers.

For both teams, the last two seasons have been ones to forget after they were relegated from England's top flight the season before last before poor showings last term. Fulham's season was somewhat worse last year however, as they slumped to a 17th position finish as an oppose to Cardiff's 11th place finish.

Both teams sacked their managers early on during last season as Fulham sacked Felix Magath in September before replacing him with (at the time) Welsh Assistant manager Kit Symons. Symons is known well by Cardiff fans as he made 32 appearances for the Welsh National Side over a nine year period during his playing days.

The Bluebirds come in to this game having had an unbeaten pre-season with two draws and four wins from the six first team fixtures. Russell Slade and his side visited the Netherlands as part of their pre-season preparations and completed two fixtures during their trip.

As for the Cottagers, they visited Portugal as part of their pre-season preparations and during the trip, Kit Symons men faced Premier League outfit Aston Villa in a training match. Fulham came through with an impressive 3-1 victory over Tim Sherwood's men with goals from Smith, Kacaliknic and Ross McCormack. After returning home, the Whites defeated Crawley Town 3-1 before earning a 2-2 draw against Hertha Berlin, losing 1-0 against Frankfurt and pulling off a pleasing 1-1 draw against Premier League Crystal Palace.

So what kind of business have Fulham done? With Hugo Rodellega (released), Patrick Roberts (sold to Man City) and Bryan Ruiz (sold to Sporting Lisbon) among the rather large list of departures, Kit Symons would have recognized that he needed to strengthen his squad, especially after such a poor season of last. Symons has managed to bring in a host of talent for very little over the season with Ben Pringle (free), Andy Lonergan (free), Jamie O'Hara (free) and Luke Garbutt (loan from Everton) signing on at Craven Cottage. They also paid fees for former Swansea man Jazz Richards and Tom Cairney from Blackburn while Maarten Stekelenburg goes out on loan to Premier League Southampton. Fulham have also made a new signing in Finland international Sakari Mattila.

Cardiff are unbeaten in their last seven opening home matches and started last season with a 1-1 draw away to Blackburn Rovers. Kenwyne Jones put the Bluebirds in front in that one before (new Fulham signing) Tom Cairney scored with a very good equalizer.

There is no doubt both teams approach this season with promotion in mind as pressure builds for both managers to make up for poor seasons of last. With that in mind, we will certainly be expecting a well contested game between the two sides on Saturday. When the two sides met last season, Kenwyne Jones scored an equalizer as the sides drew 1-1 at Craven Cottage before Cardiff came away 1-0 winners later on at the season when the Bluebirds returned to their native blue at the Cardiff City Stadium.

Team News

Cardiff City

Aron Gunnarsson is unlikely to start after a recent injury but could well be in the squad while Bruno Manga will be out until the end of the month with a lateral knee injury. Kenwyne Jones returns this week from international action at the Gold Cup and has not featured in any pre-season friendlies but he could still be in the squad for Saturday afternoon. David Marshall has been the focus of much speculation during the last week but he will not feature in City's first three games due to a red card he picked up on the final day of last season. Kadeem Harris has returned to fitness but will be unlikely to feature due to a lack of match fitness. Ben Turner is another who will miss out due to a long term injury, the former Coventry man is still in a leg boot following an operation.

Fulham

Goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli's is battling for fitness after suffering an injury during training within the last week while Adam Taggart, Scott Parker and Fernando Amorebieta (no timeline given) also feature on the injury list however Fulham boss Symons says he hopes there are no 'long term' injuries so they could return for the game.

Key Players

Cardiff City

Joe Mason looks as if he could be a key player for Cardiff as he's been on fire during pre-season while young midfielder Joe Ralls has shown why he could be a key player, adding his creative spark. Peter Whittingham is always going to be a threat to the opposition with his passing and set-pieces so he he will be someone Fulham may double up on.

Fulham

Ross McCormack returns to former club Cardiff and he could be a real threat with his quality set-pieces and dangerous attacking play. 'Rossco' enjoyed a fantastic début season in South Wales and finished City's top scorer so Cardiff supporters know exactly what the Scottish international is capable of. The ever-improving Matt Smith could also prove to be a threat as he impressed Symons last season after returning from a loan move to Bristol City, Smith has caught the eye of many supporter's during pre-season.



Predicted Starting XI

Jamie Kemble's XI



Macauley Miller's XI



Stefan Davies' XI



Prediction

I think the game will be a tough one but I can see Cardiff being the fittest side and getting crucial goals after the 70th minute. I don't think the defence will be quite strong enough to keep a clean sheet as of yet but with Dakgacoi protecting Whittingham and Joe Mason on fire I can see Cardiff City 3-1 Fulham.

Previous Meetings

2014/2015   Sat 10 Jan   Cardiff City   1 – 0   Fulham   Championship
Sat 30 Aug   Fulham   1 – 1   Cardiff City   Championship
2013/2014   Sat 08 Mar   Cardiff City   3 – 1   Fulham   Premier League
Sat 28 Sep   Fulham   1 – 2   Cardiff City   Premier League
1998/1999   Tue 18 Aug   Cardiff City   1 – 2   Fulham   League Cup


Betting Odds

Cardiff(5/4) Draw(5/2) Fulham(27/11)



The preview will be updated when more team news filters in over the next few days and don't forget to check out some of our other content as well as the Match Review which will follow after the Fulham game.


http://insidecardiffcity.co.uk/cardiff-city-vs-fulham-match-preview/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Colchester United Highlights

Watch the key action as a Fulham XI travelled to play League One outfit Colchester United on Saturday.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwA-bcDN-oc

http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2015/august/04/colchester-highlights?

[WhiteJC]

 
REPORT: EMERSON HYNDMAN GENERATING TRANSFER INTEREST FROM TOP LEAGUES



by RYAN TOLMICH

Having impressed on both the club and international level in recent months, U.S. Under-20 Men's National Team midfielder Emerson Hyndman is beginning to earn some looks from across Europe's top leagues.

Goal USA reported Monday that Hyndman, who is entering the final year of his contract with Championship side Fulham, is now drawing interest from teams in the Premier League, Bundesliga, La Liga and Eredivisie. However, to this point, no team has been able to reach Fulham's valuation of the 19-year-old midfielder.

Last year, Hyndman was the subject of loan offers from Spanish clubs Almeria and Elche as well as Dutch club SC Cambuur. Bundesliga club Stuttgart was also among the teams to make an offer, but Hyndman remained with Fulham for its entire season.

Hyndman made his first team debut for the English club last season, and went on to appear nine times before missing out on the action due to a combination of injury and international commitments.

Internationally, Hyndman is coming off the U.S. U-20s' World Cup quarterfinals run in which he led the charge as the team's captain. The midfielder has also earned one senior cap, featuring in last September's friendly against the Czech Republic.

What do you think of the interesting being generated by Hyndman? What leagues and teams would you see being a good fit? Is it the right time to make a move?


http://www.sbisoccer.com/2015/08/generating-transfer-interest.html?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham Sign Mattila

Fulham Football Club is delighted to confirm the signing of Sakari Mattila from Aalesunds FK on a two-year deal, with a Club option for a further 12 months, for an undisclosed fee.

The 26-year-old defensive midfielder began his career in his native Finland with HJK Helsinki, and made his professional debut with the club's reserve side, Klubi 04. He soon progressed to the senior side and was given his first top flight run out in April 2008.

He was on the move soon after, though, as he made the switch to Serie A after agreeing a deal with Udinese. During his time in Italy, he went on loan to Ascoli, before taking in a similar spell at Swiss outfit AC Bellinzona, for whom he later signed permanently.

Mattila returned to Helsinki on loan in August 2012, before rejoining them on a permanent deal just under a year later. In November 2013, it was announced that he had agreed to sign for Norwegian side Aalesunds on a three-year deal, and he was soon appointed captain.

He made the first of his appearances for the Finnish national side in March 2014, having previously represented his country for a variety of age groups.

Speaking to fulhamfc.com after putting pen to paper, Mattila said: "Of course I'm very delighted and happy to officially be a member of FFC. From day one when I heard about the interest I was looking forward to this moment, and now that it's official I'm really happy.

"I haven't been training with the team yet but the facilities and the atmosphere that you have here in the Training Ground is very special."

For the full interview with Sakari, tune in to #FFCRadio on fulhamfc.com on Saturday morning ahead of our season opener at Cardiff City.


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2015/august/04/fulham-sign-mattila?

[WhiteJC]

 
Who is Sakari Mattila? Fulham's newest signing.

Fulham have announced the signing of Finnish defensive midfielder Sakari Mattila.

What do we know about Sakari Mattila? Not a lot actually. The Tippeligaen isn't a league many of us watch a lot of. We know that he's big (6'2"). We know that he's not old (only 26). We know that he's primarily a defensive midfielder but can play center back in a pinch. Is he a savior? No he looks to be more of a depth player. For all the players Fulham have in the midfield, they don't have a lot of straight defensive midfielders on the roster.

The big question though, how good is this guy? The Tippeligaen is a few rungs below the Championship and he wasn't exactly dominating there. It's always possible Fulham know something we don't. It's possible there is some statistical/moneyball reason for this signing. But even if it doesn't work out at all, what have you lost? I can't imagine his fee was more than a few hundred thousand, and he's unlikely to be on high wages. Doesn't hurt to take a flyer on a few guys like that.


http://cottagersconfidential.sbnation.com/2015/8/4/9095677/who-is-sakari-mattila-fulhams-newest-signing

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham: Finland midfielder Sakari Mattila joins London club

Fulham have paid an undisclosed fee to Norwegian club Aalesunds for Finland international Sakari Mattila.

The 26-year-old defensive midfielder has agreed a two-year contract with an option for a further 12 months.

"From day one when I heard about the interest, I was looking forward to this moment," he told Fulham's website.

Mattila, who has six caps, could make his debut in the club's opening game of the new Championship season at Cardiff City on Saturday.

He is Fulham's seventh summer signing following the arrival of fellow midfielders Tom Cairney, Jamie O'Hara and Ben Pringle, defenders Jazz Richards and Luke Garbutt, and goalkeeper Andy Lonergan.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/33781068

[WhiteJC]

 
FULHAM DEAL FOR TALENTED PREMIER LEAGUE STRIKER 'IMMINENT'

Fulham are looking to improve their squad after a tough first season in the Championship and are set to take Crystal Palace's Dwight Gayle on loan.

Reports from the Daily Mirror say that the striker is on his way across London after he saw himself pushed down the pecking order at Selhurst Park with the arrival of Patrick Bamford and Connor Wickham, as we reported yesterday.

The 24 year old has been mostly a squad player since he arrived in South East London although did have a couple of good spells, with Alan Pardew anxious to cut the wage bill after brining in some great new talent this summer.

DWIGHT GAYLE
Gayle was released by the Arsenal youth academy and made his way through the lower leagues, playing for Stansted, Dagenham & Redbridge, Bishops Stortford and Peterborough United before moving to Crystal Palace in 2013.

The striker has made a consistent number of Premier League appearances over the last two seasons, around the mid 20s, but scored two fewer goals last term.

However, he enjoyed his first few games under Pardew, scoring in his first three games including three top flight goals in two games against Spurs and Burnley.

He's also netted in the last two home league fixtures against Liverpool, effectively ending the Reds title challenge with his two substitute goals in their 3-3 draw in May 2014.

THOUGHTS
Despite ending the 2013/14 season as Crystal Palace's joint top scorer, Gayle has had limited first team opportunities with injuries playing their part.

However, when he's been at his best, like he's showed in spells over the last couple of seasons, he looks like a great talent and this is what Kit Symons needs to bring out of him should he make the move.

Fulham had a similar season, playing well in spells but were mostly disappointing, and could do with a shake up in their front line.

Symons often played with multiple strikers which will give the current Eagles man a good chance of regular game time and could give his form a huge boost.

Overall, this is a decent loan deal for Fulham and should Gayle strap on his shooting boots, could help them challenge for promotion next season.


http://www.kickoff.co.uk/50632/fulham-deal-for-talented-premier-league-striker-imminent/?

[WhiteJC]

 
QPR bring in veteran defender Konchesky

QPR have completed the signing of veteran defender Paul Konchesky on a season-long loan from Leicester.

The left-back, 34, returns to west London ahead of the new season, having had a three-year spell at Fulham before joining Liverpool in 2011.

Konchesky has also played for Charlton – Rangers' opening-day opponents this weekend – and West Ham, and had loan spells at Tottenham and Nottingham Forest.

Rangers head coach Chris Ramsey recently told West London Sport he was concerned about the club's shortage of available left-backs.

Yun Suk-Young and Armand Traore have not featured during pre-season because of knee injuries.

And Jack Robinson, signed from Liverpool a year ago, is recovering from a long-term knee injury he suffered while on loan at Huddersfield last season.


http://www.westlondonsport.com/qpr/football-wls-qpr-bring-in-former-fulham-and-liverpool-man

[WhiteJC]

 
Manchester United set to sign Fulham youngster Buffonge

Football journalist Greg Stobart has revealed that Manchester United will sign Fulham Under-18 player DJ Buffonge this week, via his Twitter account.

United have enjoyed a productive transfer window this summer, bringing in a combination of experience such as Bastian Schweinsteiger and Sergio Romero, and youthful talent like Memphis Depay and Matteo Darmian.

However it now seems that Louis van Gaal is focussing on even younger talent with the signing of Buffonge definitely seen as one for the future by the Old Trafford club.

Buffonge joined Fulham's academy from Arsenal in 2010 and broke into the Under-18 team at the end of the 2013-2014 season. A number of Under-16 players were given the opportunity to prove themselves while the main squad participated in the FA Youth Cup.

And Buffonge, a talented midfielder, has never looked back. Despite still techincally being an Under-16 player the youngster was kept with the Under-18s.



Only Blackpool conceded more goals last season in the Championship than Fulham.

Fulham's first team endured an inconsistent, if torrid, first season back in the Championship last year. The Cottagers finished 17th in England's second division with 52 points after largely under performing.

Manchester United, meanwhile, are set for the start of the new season with a home fixture against Tottenham on Saturday lunch-time. It is likely, per Stobart's tweet, that Buffonge will be on the books at United by then.

Fulham failed to win any of their opening eight games last season in the Championship, losing seven and drawing one.



Read more at http://www.squawka.com/news/manchester-united-set-to-sign-fulham-youngster-buffonge-says-journo/433246#zSf3sdMMZp1TO3e9.99

[WhiteJC]

 
COPY OF PROGRAMME NOTES - FULHAM

Wednesdayite have a page in the official match day programme and you can read our column there first.

Peter Shaw is the author of these notes and his latest column from the home game V Fulham is published below:-

This afternoon we welcome the supporters of Fulham to Hillsborough.  There is no doubt that the season has  been somewhat traumatic and painful for "The Cottagers" but they have many good players and inflicted a rare heavy defeat on us earlier in the season. Despite never having won a major trophy in their history, the late great Bobby Moore led Fulham to the 1975 F A Cup Final and as recently as 2010 Fulham contested the Europa League Cup Final, losing 2-1 after extra time to Atletico Madrid.

NOTABLE PLAYERS 

Fulham F.C. was formed in 1879 and has produced some truly fantastic players over the years such as Johnny Haynes, Bobby Robson, World Cup winning right back George Cohen, Alan Mullery, and Rodney Marsh. Discounting the great Bobby Moore and the genius that was George Best, who represented Fulham relatively late in their careers, one man probably deserves the title of their greatest ever player: one JOHNNY HAYNES. Certainly he was one of the best players I ever saw as a young lad growing up. Johnny became the first £100 a week footballer following the abolition of the £20 per week maximum wage in 1961. His vision and ability to read the game was incredible and he could consistently thread the ball first time through "the eye of a needle". Pele once described Johnny as the best passer of a football he had ever seen.  Johnny represented England on 56 occasions, 22 as captain and scoring 18 goals. He was essentially a one club man like many others of that generation, representing Fulham from 1952 through to 1970. World class and greatness are too often overused words. Not in this case, his skill, ability, attitude, professionalism, loyalty and charm epitomise those qualities that constitute true greatness.
He died in Edinburgh in 2005 at the age of 71. R.I.P. John Norman Haynes, a true great in every sense.


A RARE OPPORTUNITY   

On April 28th, 1984, Mel "Zico" Sterland, one of our greatest ever full backs, fired home the winner from the penalty spot against Crystal Palace to finally end 14 years of pain and return Wednesday to the top flight. It is a treasured moment, perfectly captured in an iconic photograph taken by club photographer, Steve Ellis. A limited edition of 100 prints have been released. No more will be released, once they're gone, they're gone! There is a one off opportunity to purchase one of the individually numbered prints AT THE WEDNESDAYITE LOUNGE IN THE NIAGARA ON EASTER SATURDAY, APRIL 4th, before the home game with Huddersfield Town. On this day only, you can buy a print for the special price of £75 and Mel ZICO Sterland himself will be there to sign and individualise the print on your behalf. If you don't have transport in which to store the print, whilst you attend the game, for the sum of £10 it can be posted to you.

Please take this unique opportunity to support and meet one of our greatest ever players and simultaneously purchase a piece of photographic history. Mel will be at the Wednesdayite lounge from 1:00 pm until 2:30 pm on the day.   


Enjoy the game this afternoon. 

UTOs, WAWAW.   

Peter Shaw, Wednesdayite


http://www.wednesdayite.com/en/voice/programme-notes/item/2255-programme-notes-fulham?

[WhiteJC]

 
PALACE STRIKER APPEARS TO BE ALL SET FOR THE EXIT DOOR

Fulham look to be very much in the driving seat to secure the signing of Crystal Palace striker Dwight Gayle on a seaaon-long loan if reports are to be believed.

Following on from the arrival of Connor Wickham and Patrick Bamford, there has been plenty of chatter surroundng the immediate future of both Gayle and  Glenn Murray, amidst supposed interest from a number of Premier League and Championship clubs.

For Gayle, a short-term move to Fulham would seem to make a great deal of sense on the face of things. Whilst it may not be the Premier League, Kit Symons' side have every chance of challenging for a place in the top six next term without Dwight's services, thanks to the presence of the always prolific Ross McCormack, but together, there would be scope for the Lillywhites to score a hatful of goals each week.

Perhaps it's proof that Dwight climbed too far too soon, but despite ending both of his first two campaigns at Palace as the club's top scorer, he has never found himself selected regularly by any of the managers he has worked under in SE25. Each one, when pressed have admitted that he is the best finisher on our books, but for a wide variety of reasons, his game has stuttered since the summer of 2013.

We can all hope that a move to Fulham will settle his head, offering the necessary grounding and experience for him to return to Selhurst Park as a more rounded striker than the one who leaves but given his struggles to date, you can't help but wonder if this is the beginning of the end for Gayle in red and blue.

We shall see soon enough.


http://www.hltco.org/2015/08/05/palace-striker-appears-to-be-all-set-for-the-exit-door/?

[WhiteJC]

 :bump:

[Greek]

Benfica all over Mitroglou like butter sauce on a lobster..

[AnotherVicHalomLoveChild]

Benfica all over Mitroglou like butter sauce on a lobster..

Surely mayonnaise rather than butter?