Saturday Fulham Stuff (15/08/15)...

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Tunnicliffe back for Cottagers

Fulham can welcome back Ryan Tunnicliffe for their first home Championship match of the season against Brighton.

The 22-year-old midfielder missed the season-opener against Cardiff and the Capital One Cup tie against Wycombe after being handed a two-match ban by the Football Association.

Tunnicliffe received the suspension and a B£5,000 fine for making a derogatory comment on Twitter about the sexuality of Crystal Palace striker Patrick Bamford.

Fulham manager Kit Symons has a number of absentees to deal with as Luke Garbutt, Scott Parker (both ankle), George Williams (cruciate ligament) and Fernando Amorebieta (knee) are unavailable.

Jack Grimmer is also out of the match after leaving Tuesday's clash at Wycombe on a stretcher, with the severity of the defender's left ankle issue still unclear.

Brighton could add German centre-back Uwe Hunemeier to their squad after signing him on a three-year deal from relegated Bundesliga outfit Paderborn.

Striker Bobby Zamora, who recently rejoined the Seagulls after being released by QPR, is still building up his fitness and is not expected to feature against his former club.

Another summer signing, Scottish youngster Jack Harper, is recovering from an ankle injury and midfielder Andrew Crofts is not ready for a first-team return following his knee problems.

Boss Chris Hughton made eight changes for the Capital One Cup win at Southend in midweek so the likes of David Stockdale, Dale Stephens, Solly March, Sam Baldock and Lewis Dunk - who is a transfer target for Fulham - are set to return.


http://www.espnfc.co.uk/english-league-championship/match/422933/fulham-brighton-and-hove-albion/preview?

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HUGHTON ON: FULHAM

At his press conference, Chris Hughton spoke about the qualities which Uwe Huenemeier will bring to the team, the current state of his squad and the threat which Fulham will pose on Saturday.

The arrival of Uwe Huenemeier: "Anybody that we bring in must have the quality to improve the squad, so that has to be the first essential characteristic.

"We always want that, but Uwe is also someone that comes with experience and has played at the top level in German football.

"He's been captain of his team and showed a great willingness in wanting to come here. It's a great experience for him to play here, but predominantly he's a good and experienced player that comes into our squad.

"What I see in Gordon Greer, Uwe and Lewis Dunk are three good very centre-backs. We've gone through most of, if not all, pre-season with Glen Rea being involved in the first team and doing well. It's been a really good pre-season for him, but if we're looking for what we regard as main first-team players then it's only been Gordon and Lewis.

"Gordon probably missed two-and-a-half to three weeks of that pre-season, so it is an area that we wanted to strengthen and we're now in a good position."

State of the squad: "We're back in a good position again. We don't really have any injuries which is a nice position to be in at the moment and we have a very competitive squad. I am delighted for the ones that played in midweek at Southend and most of the players have either now got through 90 minutes or close to 90 minutes in the last two games. We now have a real good overall fitness in the squad."


Read more at http://www.seagulls.co.uk/news/article/chris-hughton-on-brighton-hove-albion-v-fulham-2617799.aspx#wPjsUEuLmZX3VMov.99

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Brighton & Hove Albion Factfile

Sky Bet Championship football returns to Craven Cottage on Saturday as we welcome Brighton & Hove Albion to South-West London.


The opposition

With 2014/15 spent battling relegation following two consecutive years in the Play-Offs, the last campaign was something of a disappointment for the Seagulls.

Things didn't go to plan under Sami Hyypia, so Chris Hughton replaced the Finn in December and steadied the ship at the AMEX. The Albion survived the drop by six points and it's been a busy summer for Hughton who's looking to put his stamp on the squad.

Former Fulham man Aaron Hughes was one of many to be given a free transfer this summer, alongside the likes of Craig Mackail-Smith and Paddy McCourt.

The former Newcastle United boss has moved to bring in Paderborn centre-back Uwe Hunemeier for a reported £1.8m, whilst Tomer Hemed arrived from Almeria to bolster the front line for a fee in the region of £1m. Former Whites Liam Rosenior and Bobby Zamora have also moved to the South Coast on free transfers.

The new campaign has started in positive fashion for the Seagulls as they recorded back-to-back 1-0 wins over Nottingham Forest in the Championship and Southend United in the Capital One Cup, with Kazenga LuaLua scoring the winner in both.

Team news

Zamora is likely to miss out on a return to the Cottage as he lacks match fitness having not played in more than three months, while Andrew Crofts remains sidelined as he continues his comeback from a knee injury. Hunemeier is expected to make his debut, though.

Tickets

Tickets for Saturday's game are still available to buy, priced from £25 for adults and just £5 for juniors. Prices increase by £5 on matchday.

Weather

It is expected to be dry on matchday with sunny spells throughout the day. Despite the fresher air it will feel pleasantly warm with temperatures of around 18 degrees at kick-off.

Coral match odds

Fulham: 31/20

Draw: 9/4

Brighton: 7/4

Previous meeting

Two second half goals earned Brighton a 2-0 win at Craven Cottage in Fulham's final game of 2014. After a tepid opening 45 minutes, it was the visitors who made the breakthrough after the restart when Adrian Colunga converted a penalty after Kostas Stafylidis had fouled Elliott Bennett. Fulham pushed hard for an equaliser and went close on two occasions, but former Whites goalkeeper David Stockdale pulled off great saves to deny substitute Sean Kavanagh and Hugo Rodallega. Those stops proved crucial as the Seagulls put the game to bed when Solly March netted late on to move them to within five points of Fulham.


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2015/august/14/brighton-factfile?

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Taking Aim

Tom Cairney was arguably Fulham's most high-profile signing of a productive summer on the transfer front when he joined for an undisclosed fee from Blackburn Rovers. The midfielder is determined to lead Fulham to success and back to the big time.

Cairney is in bullish mood. One of seven summer signings by the Whites, he's strongly of the belief that this could be a memorable season for Fulham. With last term now thankfully a distant memory, the Whites have made no secret of their hopes for the new campaign. The aim is promotion.

"That's what we're striving for," Cairney tells the official matchday programme. "We want a minimum of the Play-Offs. We've got a bit of firepower in the team, hopefully we can keep it tighter at the back than we did last season. If we get that balance right we won't be far away.

"After Cardiff it all starts for us at home against Brighton & Hove Albion. I'm massively looking forward to running out for my home debut. I enjoyed playing Crystal Palace here a few weeks ago in a pre-season friendly and to make my home debut in the league - if selected - will be great. I'm sure the fans will get behind us and hopefully we can nick a win."

Able to play in the centre or the right of midfield or even behind the striker, Cairney also brings something Fulham badly missed last season - Championship knowhow.

"That's important," he agreed. "I've been around this league for quite a few years now and while I'm still learning, I know what's needed at certain times, for example when you play away from home. I like to think I'm calm on the ball and I try and be brave and make things happen.

"The Championship is horrific, it's relentless. I don't think people realise how tough it is both physically and mentally. Saturday, Tuesday, Saturday, Wednesday games that come up are so difficult.

"Every game is a battle and anyone can beat anyone on any given day. If you're not at it then you won't win. It's a hard league but it's incredibly exciting at the same time."

To read the full interview with Cairney, get your hands on a copy of the new-look matchday programme against Brighton & Hove Albion on Saturday.

Other highlights in the only matchday magazine that matters - which is also available to download digitally from 9am on Saturday - are:

Chairman Shahid Khan on how the tools are in place for Fulham to have a successful season
Manager Kit Symons looks back on the opening two games of the new campaign
Skipper Scott Parker pens his first Captain's Column and brings us the latest on his road to recovery
The legendary Norman Cook - AKA Fatboy Slim - on following Brighton down the years
Jazz Richards answers some random questions in the Name Game
Matthew Lawrence recalls his eventful spell in SW6
In a regular piece, key figures take a walk down memory lane to the 1998/99 promotion-winning season
Les Strong brings you his latest column
Academy Director Huw Jennings gets ready for another term
And there's a host of new features including One Hit Wonders, First & Last, Infographics, Back On This Day and Unseen FFC

Priced £3.50, the 84-page publication is available from various sellers on Stevenage Road from two hours before kick-off. Or order it online from ProgrammeMaster.

For just £1.99, the programme is also available as a digital download with added video content from 10am on Saturday, so whether you're at home or away, you need never be without it on your iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, PC or Mac via Apple's Newsstand or Pocketmags.

Or to ensure you don't miss a single copy of the official matchday programme, purchase an annual subscription. Head here for full details.

Tickets for Saturday's game are still available to buy, priced from £25 for Adults, £20 Concessions and just £5 for Juniors. All prices will increase by £5 on match day.


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2015/august/14/taking-aim?

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Football rumour: Tigers try to lure Fulham striker Ross McCormack

Fulham striker Ross McCormack.

HULL City are believed to have tabled an audacious £8m bid for Fulham striker Ross McCormack, who has been linked with Derby County in the past.

With his attempt to sign Brentford's Andre Gray appearing to have hit a dead end, Tigers manager Steve Bruce sees McCormack as the man to lead his club's attempt to bounce back to the Premier League.

Fulham are desperate to hold on to McCormack, who cost them £11m from Leeds United last year. They are believed to be in talks over a new deal with the striker, scorer of 19 goals last season, in an attempt to fight off interest from Middlesbrough and Norwich City.

However, Hull have tried to steal the player away from the Cottagers before a new deal can be reached, though their valuation is unlikely to meet the price that would tempt Fulham.



Read more: http://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/Football-rumour-Tigers-try-lure-Fulham-striker/story-27607573-detail/story.html#ixzz3irgzgm3b
Follow us: @DerbyTelegraph on Twitter | derbytelegraph on Facebook

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Fulham v Brighton

SKY BET CHAMPIONSHIP
Venue: Craven Cottage Date: Saturday 14 August Kick-off: 15:00 BST
Coverage: Listen on BBC Radio 5 live and BBC local radio; text commentary on the BBC Sport website

Fulham have Ryan Tunnicliffe available again after the midfielder completed a two-match FA ban for making inappropriate comments on Twitter.

But Luke Garbutt, Jack Grimmer and Scott Parker (all ankle), George Williams (cruciate ligament) and Fernando Amorebieta (knee) are out.

New Brighton signing Uwe Hunemeier could step straight into the squad.

Bobby Zamora is not expected to face his former club and Scottish youngster Jack Harper (ankle) also misses out.

MATCH FACTS

Fulham have either scored exactly two goals (four times) or none at all (four times) in each of their last eight meetings with Brighton in all competitions.
After failing to score in six consecutive matches (all comps) against Fulham, Brighton have since found the net in each of the last three clashes (six goals scored).
Matt Smith now has four goals in his last six games for Fulham.
Fulham's last six league games at Craven Cottage saw them concede 18 goals (averaging three a game).
Brighton have won just twice on the road in 2015 in the Championship (D4 L5).


http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/33831670

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Fulham to make an £8m plus add-ons bid for Crystal Palace striker Dwight Gayle
Crystal Palace are keen to sell Dwight Gayle this summer transfer window
Fulham initially enquired about a loan move for the Palace striker
Bristol City have made an £8million bid but Gayle doesn't want to join them

Dwight Gayle could still be heading for a Crystal Palace exit this summer, with Fulham set to make an £8million plus add-ons move for the striker.

Palace want £10m for the 24-year-old but the Championship club are confident that their offer will be accepted by the Selhurst Park outfit.

Fulham initially enquired about a loan move for Gayle before coming in with a permanent bid.


Crystal Palace striker Dwight Gayle (left) is set to be the subject of an £8million plus add-ons bid from Fulham


Fulham are confident that their offer will be accepted by the Premier League side - who are keen to sell Gayle

It is the second time this week that a Championship club have tried to sign Gayle after the Eagles accepted an offer worth up to £8m from Bristol City on Monday.

However, the forward is reluctant to move to Ashton Gate and has expressed his views to the Palace hierarchy.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3197704/Fulham-make-8m-plus-add-ons-bid-Crystal-Palace-striker-Dwight-Gayle.html#ixzz3iriMWu7J
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

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QPR odds-on to beat Fulham to signature of £1.75m Bolton defender

Rs ahead of Whites in Tim Ream chase

QPR are odds-on to secure Tim Ream from Bolton after director of football Les Ferdinand burned the midnight oil last night.

Head coach Chris Ramsey revealed Rs were inching ahead of Fulham in the race to win the battle for the coveted USA defender.

A fee of £1.75m has been agreed between Hoops and Bolton, with a £250k add-on should Rangers bounce back to the Premier League.

"I think it will go through," Ramsey claimed. "There's a negotiation period, and as a manager you do get a bit jittery.

"If you want the player, the player has the upper hand, but in our situation no one can have the upper hand because we're dictated to by the finances we've got.

"I know Les was bargaining hard last night trying to get it done, and it won't be from the want of trying if it doesn't get done.

"There's a few other people we've looked at as well, if needs be."


http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/qpr-odds-beat-fulham-signature-9857374?

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McCormack's Contract Extension

The Club is delighted to announce that Ross McCormack has signed a contract extension, keeping him at Fulham until 2019.

McCormack – whose previous deal would have taken him up until 2018 – enjoyed a marvellous debut season at Craven Cottage from a personal point of view, leading the scoring charts with 19 goals and contributing a further 11 assists.

He made an immediate impression on the Whites supporters, and he was subsequently named their Player of the Season for 2014/15.

Watch the video below as Ross gives his first interview after putting pen to paper. Tune in to #FFCRadio from 2pm on Saturday to hear Ross speak exclusively about returning to the Cottage, what he expects from Brighton and Hove Albion, his role within the team and his targets for the season.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdEoMH_lCfs

http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2015/august/14/mccormacks-contract-extension?

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Fulham launch £8m move for Gayle
by DAN on AUGUST 14, 2015

Fulham are preparing an initial £8m offer for Crystal Palace striker Dwight Gayle, who looks set to leave Selhurst Park by the end of the transfer window, according to the Daily Mail.

The Whites had initially inquired about the possibility of a loan move for the former Peterborough forward, who is keen to stay in the capital, and spent a couple of hours looking around Craven Cottage after the pre-season friendly between the two sides earlier this month. Palace are believed to be holding out for a figure of around £10m for the 24 year-old, but Fulham are reportedly very confident that their offer of £8m with additional clauses attached will be successful.

Gayle has fallen behind new Eagles signings Patrick Bamford and Connor Wickham in Alan Pardew's pecking order and has already rejected to chance to join Bristol City after the Championship new boys had an offer worth up to £8m accepted on Monday. Gayle scored 10 goals in 29 appearances for Palace last season but struggled to attain a regular first-team spot and is eager to move on as Pardew revealed in his latest pre-match press conference.

He came and saw me at the start of the season to express a view to move elsewhere. 'I said, "OK, that's fine with me, we'll try to get you a club." Now there is a club and he's reluctant to go. The ball is very much in Dwight's court.

Dwight last year was a little bit not involved in the first team. It's difficult to fit him into the way I play. He came to see me and said he would like to move on. Dwight can play in the Premier League, but having said that, Bristol City are a great club. A club with momentum.

The owner wants to push up to the Premier League. That decision isn't mine. That's Dwight's decision. We aren't going to force anyone to go anywhere they don't want to go. It's about the boy understanding what the best scenario is for him. At the moment, it's not here.


http://hammyend.com/index.php/2015/08/fulham-launch-8m-move-for-gayle/?

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Fulham v Brighton: Whites boss says it's one in and one out for Seagulls clash

Defender for defender as Symons gears up to get one over Chris Hughton


Back: Sean Kavanagh

Kit Symons welcomes back Sean Kavanagh to the Fulham fold in time to face Brighton - but awaits a specialist's report on stricken Jack Grimmer.

The Scots right-back is expected to be out for a while after sustaining ankle damage in the 1-0 win over Wycombe on Tuesday.

But left-sided Kavanagh has recovered from a hamstring strain and will build up the squad for the visit of Brighton tomorrow.


Press-ed into action: Kit Symons at Motspur Park today

At the same time, the Whites manager confirmed a new contract for Ross McCormack, simply because there was a clause in the striker's contract that allowed both parties to extend the deal by a year to 2019.

See what the player said about it in the video below.

Symons added: "I'm mindful we don't want everything to go through one player, but it's true, Ross is very important to us, and both parties were happy to exercise the option."


Congrats: Ross McCormack takes the plaudits

Ironically, Grimmer only played at Wycombe because there was ironically a slight ankle problem for Jazz Richards.

His manager predicted a game of thrills and spills against the team from the south coast.

"Brighton are a good football side play, who like to play from the back and like to get the ball out wide," added Symons. "It should be a good game of football. Having said that it'll be a boring 0-0, but I'm hoping for different."


http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/fulham-v-brighton-whites-boss-9858342?

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Kit's Brighton Preview

Kit Symons reckons those in attendance at Craven Cottage on Saturday afternoon will witness a fluid game of football between his Fulham side and visitors Brighton & Hove Albion.

Symons has always been an advocate of playing the game on the ground, and he believes the Seagulls will arrive in SW6 with a similar ethos.

"They're a good footballing side, they always have been," he said in his press conference on Friday afternoon. "They pass the ball really, really well and look to play out from the back.

"They've got good creative players, they've a threat from wide areas – they're a good side. You'd certainly imagine it will be a good game of football between two good footballing sides.

"You'd imagine it would be an attractive game of football, with both teams getting the ball down and playing."

After reaching the Play-Offs in consecutive seasons, 2014/15 was a bit of a letdown for Brighton fans by recent standards, as they flirted with relegation throughout the campaign.

So when asked if he expects Saturday's opponents to improve this time around, Symons replied: "I think they've got a lot of good players, I think they've got a very good manager in Chris [Hughton], and they're a good club, so they will be expecting to do better I'm sure, but then I'd be expecting us to do better than we did last season as well.

"I think at this stage of the season, if you're not expecting that then it's probably going to be a long old season for you. They're a good side and, like I say, Chris is an excellent manager so I would expect them to do quite well."

Both teams go into the weekend's fixture unbeaten after two matches, and while the Fulham boss is happy with how his new signings have settled, he insists they will continue to improve.

"We've had a lot of new boys come in but they're all very talented, craftful footballers," he said, "and the more they play together as a group and in the training sessions, the better I think they'll get.

"You can already see certain relationships starting to build and players really getting on the same wavelength, which is what pre-season was important for, and it went very, very well in that respect.

"Again, I've been delighted with all the new boys who've come in, I think they've improved us as a team and as a football club, and I think it will get better."


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2015/august/14/kits-brighton-preview?

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Defender Chase Continues
   
Kit Symons determination to improve the defence at Craven Cottage is featured in the press this morning.

Our friends over at The Sun are speculating that having had an initial offer of £1.75 million rejected for James Tarkowski Fulham are soon to return with a much improved offer.

Having failed to capture either Lewis Dunk or Tim Ream, Fulham are looking at tempting Brentford to part with Tarkowski by offering our West London neighbours £4 million for the twenty-two year-old.

However, whether Brentford are willing to do business might be affected by the fact the recently lost another vital defender Andreas Bjelland to injury.

But, with the transfer window closure still a couple of weeks away, there could be plenty of time, and room, for negotiations in this one.


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=409374#ixzz3irlJhd3Q

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Motor Village Renews Sponsorship Deal

Motor Village UK has renewed its contract with Fulham Football Club to become the Club's Official Car Partner for the 2015/16 season.

The one-year extension means that Fiat's flagship London dealer will continue to supply Fulham FC with a fleet of vehicles for use as matchday corporate shuttles and, on non-matchdays, for the Club's Player Care and Academy departments.

Showcasing their latest models, the Fiat 500X and the Jeep Renegade, these cars will be Fulham FC branded alongside the sporty Alfa Giulietta as part of the arrangement with the Club.

As well as supplying vehicles, the deal brings Motor Village UK a set of marketing rights including in-stadium advertising, LED pitch perimeter branding and the opportunity to showcase vehicles to both Fulham FC players and fans at Craven Cottage.

"We are delighted to be involved with Fulham FC again for this season," said Fabio Di Prima, managing director, Motor Village UK. "Fulham have another tough season ahead of them, but it will be an exciting one too, and we want to be there with them on the journey. This sponsorship deal will once again allow us to showcase Fiat Chrysler Automobiles cars to players, staff and fans."

Fulham Football Club CEO, Alistair Mackintosh, added: "I'm delighted that our partnership with Motor Village UK as our Official Car Partner has been extended for a second consecutive season. We have developed a fantastic working relationship with them and have been impressed by the quality of their service in assisting with the Club's daily logistics and transportation requirements."


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2015/august/14/motor-village-renews-sponsorship-deal?

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Kit: Everyone's Delighted

Kit Symons insists that securing Ross McCormack's future until 2019 is a major boost for everyone associated with Fulham.

Last season's top scorer agreed to an extension option in his contract on Friday, much to the delight of his Manager.

"He's a very important player for us," Symons admitted. "We're very mindful not to put too much through one person for the style of play, but Ross is an excellent player.

"He's very creative and he scores goals as well, so he's great to have in the side. We can play a couple of different ways with him in the team.

"He's a very talented footballer and I think everyone – staff at the Club, Fulham fans – everyone's delighted that we've secured that one.

"There was an option of a year and we've just taken up the option, and we're pleased to do so. It was put in the contract initially and both parties were very happy with the way it's going so it made sense to take that one up."

In Friday's pre-match press conference, the Whites boss was asked the usual speculative questions about potential incomings at Fulham, and he confirmed that he is still looking to get some new faces in.

"There's a lot of talking to players," he stated. "I'm very hopeful still that things will get done. The problem being at this stage of the season, I only want good players – they've got to be quality – to come in, and sometimes that's not easy.

"That's proving to be the case so I'm understanding of that but I'm still very confident that there will be more acquisitions.

"Anyone who we do sign will be for the right reasons, because we think they're real quality and can add a lot to our squad."

One man who's settled in very quickly is Jamie O'Hara, who's been voted Fulham's best player by the fans in each of our two fixtures to date.

"The Putney Pirlo they call him don't they, apparently?" Symons asked with a smile. "He's done really well for us, Jamie, so I'm pleased he's come in and done well for the team, but pleased for him on a personal level as well.

"He's come in and shown what he's all about early doors, and you always want to [do that] as a player at a new club, you want to ideally make your mark and do well, get the respect of your teammates, and also the fans.

"So to come in and get voted Man of the Match in his first two games by the supporters is great, so he's off and running."


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2015/august/14/kit-everyones-delighted?

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Kit: Craven Fortress

Manager Kit Symons wants the Whites to feel 'unbeatable' in SW6 by creating a fortress mentality, starting with the season opener against Brighton and Hove Albion.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1S9oc6oAMF4

http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2015/august/14/manager-video?

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Three questions about Lewis Dunk: Or Brighton Hove Albion vs Fulham

Jason from Brighton But Only at Home stops by to answer our questions. I resisted the urge to just say give us Lewis Dunk over and over again.

Cottagers Confidential: Lewis Dunk didn't play and didn't make the bench for your League Cup match. That's a sign he's coming to Fulham right? We certainly would love to have him. What can you tell us about him, and how likely do you think it is that he switches clubs? Brighton is just trying to keep him past this week so he can't be used against them, right?

Jason: I wouldn't be so sure. Tony Bloom has gone on record saying that it makes no sense to sell Dunk to a Championship rival. However, everyone has their price. From what I understand you are offering Dunk a large wage increase and so we appear to have three options. Refuse all offers from you point blank and have an unhappy player on our hands (unlikely). Offer Dunk a vastly improved contract (quite likely). Wait till you make the right offer and sell him, claiming it was too good to be true (see Ulloa, L) (also quite likely). Even though we've just signed Uwe Húnemeier a new centre back from Paderborn, both our local paper and the North Stand Chat Facebook page are saying he is an addition rather than a replacement. Your chances are 50/50.

You'd get a hell of a player if he went, with future potential too. For a young centre back he reads the game very well (leading the team in interceptions last season) but for much of it he also led our goal scoring. That says more about the pathetic players that were recruited under Hyypia than it does about Dunk but he is good in the air from set pieces.

I expect him to play for us against you. Perhaps he and his agent will have competing dinner invites afterwards though.

(If you're reading this on Friday and he's signed please feel free to disregard this bit).

CC: David Stockdale, Bobby Zamora, and Liam Rosenior. Brighton seems to enjoy picking up ex-Fulham players. Who's going to be the next Fulham player you hope to employ in the future.

Jason: Ha ha! Literally no one regards Bobby as an ex Fulham player down here. It's like the majority of his career as a Premier League player in London never existed! I was interested to see some Fulham fans angry at losing Stockdale as he arrived out of shape and prone to mistakes. He's buffed up now though and looks a different player. The most interesting thing about Rosenior is that I'm old enough to remember standing on the Putney End watching his dad play for you against us.

Which ex Fulham player would we want? Steve Sidwell played for us briefly and there were silly rumours on NSC linking us with both him and Riise that I got quite excited about at the time. So basically anyone special one with Premier League experience will do.

I'm quite gutted we missed out on Patrick Roberts though. Ahem.

CC: Brighton had an even worse season than Fulham last year. What makes you confident this season will be better? Where do you expect to finish? Any guesses on who goes down and who goes up?

Jason: We had a truly dreadful season but the two men most responsible left just before Christmas. David Burke, head of recruitment or whatever BS title they give these people these days brought in several League Two quality players for too much money and Sami Hyypia tried to make them play like Germany. This is no more. Burke's last act was to bring in Darren Bent on loan who gave us the song "we're Brighton and Hove Albion, our striker is Bent", scored against you, to much pantomime goings on and then buggered off for Derby.

Since then Chris Hughton did the best he could with an awful squad, just avoiding relegation by the skin of our teeth, but he has slowly re-built the squad with some more solid looking players. As well as Zamora and Rosenior we've added Tomar Hemed who looks like a proper number nine even though he wears ten, Gaeten Bong, a quick and instinctive left back and a couple of strikers for the future. Uwe Húnemier was Paderborn's skipper and leader last season but I bet there are no more than three Brighton fans who have actually seen him play. We have a couple of wingers that we're tracking. If we land at least one, if not two or three more creative players we'll be fine and should be top half. I also thought we were excellent against Forest, though this may just be in comparison to last season.

I can't see past Middlesboro, Derby and Wolves for promotion. I'd expect Rotherham to go down and Preston to struggle. The third relegation candidate may be a surprise, perhaps affected by FFP. Blackburn will struggle if they sell their good players and Bolton will if they don't recruit further. QPR won't though as they seem to have some sort of Jedi mind trick that makes "special payments" of sixty-odd million pounds perfectly acceptable.

CC: Predicted lineup and scoreline?

Jason: We beat you at the Cottage last season in one of our only decent away performances. Although I expect a better season that performance last year was exceptional and this time round I'll go for a 1-1 draw. We'll probably be largely unchanged in a 4-4-2 from Forest:

Stockdale

Bruno Greer Dunk Bong

March Kayal Stephens Lua Lua

Baldock Hemed.

Bobby won't even make the bench.


http://cottagersconfidential.sbnation.com/2015/8/14/9153367/fulham-lewis-dunk-brighton-hove-albion-three-questions-

[WhiteJC]

 
Under-18s' Leicester Trip

Fulham Under-18s will be looking to make it back-to-back wins when they travel to Leicester City on Saturday (12pm).

The Whites got their campaign off to the perfect start last week as goals from Aron Davies, Josh Walker and Ryan Sessegnon saw them defeat West Ham United 3-1 at Motspur Park.

Leicester made an excellent start to their season as well, though, as they came away from Swansea City with an impressive 2-1 victory.

Our Under-18s did not have the best of times against the Foxes last term, losing 5-0 away from home, before suffering a 2-0 defeat at Motspur.


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2015/august/14/under-18s-leicester-trip?

[WhiteJC]

 
QPR On Sale Monday

Tickets for the West London derby against Queens Park Rangers at Craven Cottage will go on sale to Season Ticket Holders and Members on Monday (10am).

Following a two-season absence, the local rivalry returns on Friday 25th September (7.45pm) under the Cottage floodlights.

Make sure you're at the Cottage as we look to secure the first local bragging rights of the season!


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2015/august/14/qpr-on-sale-monday?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham boss aware Brighton 'knock-on' effect could bag them £4m Lewis Dunk

Whites manager keeps tabs on Albion transfers


Target: Lewis Dunk

Kit Symons admits he's kept an interested eye on the transfer comings and goings at Brighton - who Fulham face tomorrow at Craven Cottage.

The Whites boss was towing the party line today about 'strengthening all areas' of the squad, but it's an open secret he wants Seagulls' Lewis Dunk to beef up his back four.

So far, Symons has been rebuffed in his attempts to sign the coveted 23-year-old, but after Brighton snapped up German centre-back Uwe Hunemeier on a three-year deal for £1.75 million, it opens doors for a renewed £4m bid by Fulham for Dunk.


Sliding in: George Williams (L) takes on Brighton's Lewis Dunk

Whites' options to find a top centre half seem to be narrowing after second target Tim Ream appears to be headed down the road to QPR, according to coach Chris Ramsey earlier.

"We take note of the things that are going on in and around the Championship, and quite often there is a knock-on effect," Symons said.

"Things that happen elsewhere could be relevant to what happens at this football club. What other people are doing could have an effect on us."


http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/fulham-boss-aware-brighton-knock-9860998?