Wednesday Fulham Stuff (02/09/15)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Transfer Round-Up

A full round-up of the incomings and outgoings at Fulham Football Club in the summer transfer window.

Ins

Andrew Lonergan

Signed: 19th June

Fee: Free transfer

From: Bolton Wanderers


Ben Pringle

Signed: 19th June

Fee: Free transfer

Previous club: Rotherham United


Tom Cairney

Signed: 26th June

Fee: Undisclosed

Previous club: Blackburn Rovers


Jazz Richards

Signed: 2nd July

Fee: Undisclosed

Previous club: Swansea City


Jamie O'Hara

Signed: 7th July

Fee: Free transfer

Previous club: Blackpool


Luke Garbutt

Signed: 25th July

Fee: Loan

Parent club: Everton


Sakari Mattila

Signed: 4th August

Fee: Undisclosed

Previous club: Aalesund FK


Tim Ream

Signed: 20th August

Fee: Undisclosed

Previous club: Bolton Wanderers


Joe Lewis

Signed: 24th August

Fee: Loan

Parent club: Cardiff City


James Husband

Signed: 28th August

Fee: Loan

Parent club: Middlesbrough


Ryan Fredericks

Signed: 31st August

Fee: Undisclosed

Previous club: Bristol City


Richard Stearman

Signed: 1st September

Fee: Undisclosed

Previous club: Wolverhampton Wanderers


In addition to the above, goalkeeper Andrew Dawber and defender Ian Pino Soler have joined the Club's Under-21 setup.

Outs

Bryan Ruiz, Patrick Roberts, Buomesca Tue Na Bangna, Thomas Eisfeld and Ryan Williams have all left Fulham on permanent deals, while Maarten Stekelenburg, Kostas Mitroglou, Fernando Amorebieta, Stephen Arthurworrey, Ange-Freddy Plumain, Jesse Joronen, Larnell Cole and Adam Taggart are taking in loan spells.


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2015/september/01/transfer-round-up?

[WhiteJC]

 
Reflections on Fulham's transfer window
by DAN on SEPTEMBER 1, 2015

What seems like ages ago, a lecturer at university warned me about the dangers of 'instant history'. However, with the transfer window's closure still fresh in the mind, the temptation of assessing how Fulham got on is too great. Football fans are notoriously fickle and I'm sure somewhere in an angry corner of the internet, there will be some bemoaning the fact that the overhyped deadline day delivered just one new arrival in the shape of Richard Stearman, but I can't join those who might consider the final afternoon a let down.

Reshaping a squad that was ridiculously unbalanced even at the end of last season will probably require more than a summer. Fulham have successfully shunted the big wage earners elsewhere and, whilst their still might be disappointment about the loss of Patrick Roberts, that transfer fee afforded us some capital with which to operate. The new signings that we've already seen in action have each, in their own way, illustrated their quality. Andy Lonergan's arrival from Bolton Wanderers on a free transfer looks like a magnificent piece of business in the light of the cruel injury that befell Marcus Bettinelli. Just how crucial his penalty save at the New York Stadium last weekend turns out to be in Kit Symons' managerial career remains to be seen – but I'm a hell of a lot more comfortable with a proven Championship custodian deputising for one of the brightest prospects to come out of the Fulham academy than I would have been wincing my way through another season of Gabor Kiraly.

Defence was the area where most of us would have been concerned once the final whistle blew on last season's torment. The fact that Fulham lined up in Cardiff without having added a centre back to repair the league's second leakiest rearguard would have raised plenty of eyebrows. The long-awaited capture of Lewis Dunk never materialised – and a fancy you could write a book about the twists and turns in that saga – but Fulham's position is a lot stronger now than it was even a fortnight ago. Tim Ream has stepped comfortably into a centre back position and immediately solidified things which is no mean feat, whilst the signing of Richard Stearman – rumoured to be our first target back in those heady summer days – shouldn't be sniffed at. Both are well aware of what's necessary in this league and Stearman, to judge from his last two seasons at Wolves, is a demonstrative and decisive character, which we've been lacking, who was popular with the Wolves faithful.

If solving the problems at centre back were pivotal to having a more successful season, then addressing the full-back situation was no less pressing. Jazz Richards has yet to fully convince despite a performance for Wales in the close season that had Premier League clubs scampering to derail our attempts to seal a permanent deal (just look at the clumsy tackle that almost handed Rotherham a route back in a game that looked beyond them on Saturday), but the signing of the former Tottenham youngster Ryan Fredericks will offer serious competition for a first-team spot whilst Jack Grimmer recuperates from that nasty injury at Wycombe.

Kay Voser was pressed into service at left back after Luke Garbutt's promising debut ended far too quickly – and that always had the feel of a short-term fix. Voser hardly looked reassuring in his more natural position last season and the limitations of playing a right-footed player on the left side of a shaky back four limited Fulham's effectiveness at both ends of the pitch. Snapping up James Husband again on loan was a real coup – he was impressive in his brief spell last term – and delivered a masterclass in what we'd been missing at the weekend. His penetrative runs, calmness on the ball and diligent positioning made Ben Pringle look far more effective as a left-sided midfielder, whilst his dangerous incursions into the penalty area won a penalty and almost led to another goal in the second half. Hopefully, these additions will make Symons' side far more formidable at both ends of the pitch.

The big change has been in midfield. Jamie O'Hara's desire to both his best days aren't behind him was evident from the way he sought to secure a place at Motspur Park in the summer and the manner in which he stepped into a deep-lying central midfield role marks him out as a potential replacement for Danny Murphy. A Fulham fan can pay no more handsome compliment than that. Pringle's effervescence has already sparkled during the summer and I fancy he'll become an integral part of the midfield quartet as the season goes on. His eye for goal, eager running and ability to drift into dangerous central positions should provide some of the movement that was so sadly lacking last season.

The big-money capture of the summer was probably Tom Cairney, whose move from Blackburn Rovers even surprised the player himself. I still worry that we'll waste his prodigious talent if the Scottish international spends too much time on the right side of a traditional four-man midfield – not just when it comes to utilising that devastating left foot, which has already delivered two top-class finishes, but also in terms of depriving him of the space to link effectively with the likes of Lasse Vigen Christensen, Pringle and Ross McCormack. The fact that Christensen isn't certain of his place in the side shows just how much Symons has strengthened this area in the summer months – but Ryan Tunnicliffe's encouraging displays hint at a pathway into the first-team for those who might still be on the periphery.

Perhaps the one worry might be a lack of depth up front, given the frustration of not landing Gary Hooper late in the day. Fulham were horribly reliant on Ross McCormack's goals last season and the player himself was brooding about his natural position only a week ago. For many, McCormack is most threatening when he's poaching in the penalty area – we'll just erase that horrible miss at Cardiff from our minds – but, such was the woeful lack of service at times last season, you couldn't criticise him too much for dropping deep in search of the ball. Matt Smith might be the most conventional partner for the current captain, but his injury offers a glorious opportunity for Cauley Woodrow and Moussa Dembele.

Ironically, the pair cultivated a real understanding at youth-team level, but you sense there are now competing with one another for a single spot. Woodrow's performances have been fitful so far, but two smart finishes – at home to Huddersfield when the Whites looked to have run out of ideas and, also in stoppage, at Rotherham to seal a much-needed win – show that he's got the predatory instincts to match his ability to bring others into play. The raw Dembele has pure pace, a precious commodity in this Fulham squad, which scares the life out of Championship defences. His task is to work on his finishing – as well as to realise that his future development is best served at Craven Cottage and sign the new deal that Fulham are willing to offer.

Given that Fulham have managed to make significant improvements on a net spend of £200,000 across this window, there will be questions about when Shahid Khan might flex his financial muscles. Has he really done 'whatever it takes' to deliver promotion? Maybe not. But, given the boom and bust nature of English football, I'm quite happy we aren't risking our club's future in a mad dash for Premier League football. Sustainability might sound hollow right now  but ask fans of Leeds, QPR, Portsmouth, Bolton Wanderers and Blackburn if they'd ask for careful husbandry if they had their time again and you won't need too long to receive the answer.

Fulham's future probably remains in cultivating a strong home-grown core. One of the more pleasing aspects of Symons' reign has been seeing the likes of Bettinelli, Grimmer, Christensen, Woodrow and Dembele step into first-team football so promisingly. The task over the past few weeks has been to build a stronger squad so that the youngsters – like the returning George Williams – won't have to shoulder so much of the work as they seek to make their next strides in senior football. A blend of youth and experience is the ideal, and I'd have no hesitation in saying we're a lot better off now than we were post-Norwich in May.


http://hammyend.com/index.php/2015/09/reflections-on-fulhams-transfer-window/?

[WhiteJC]

 
GARY HOOPER: Fulham must wait for another loan move for Norwich City's former Celtic and Scunthorpe United striker

Norwich City's former Scunthorpe United striker Gary Hooper was reported to have been having a medical at Fulham today.

GARY Hooper's hopes of a move to Championship outfit Fulham appear to have had to be put on hold tonight.

The striker was reported by the Daily Mail to be having a medical at the London club this afternoon, with a view to signing on loan before the closure of the transfer window at 6pm tonight.

But Norwich City's failure to land a new front man before the deadline appears to scuppered the move and meant they would not allow the former Scunthorpe United ace to leave Carrow Road.

Hooper's next move has been a big topic for discussion for much of the back end of the summer.

Sheffield Wednesday and Middlesbrough had also been linked with the 27-year-old, who the Iron sold to Celtic for £2million in the summer of 2010.

Norwich had been trying to land Crystal Palace striker Dwight Gayle, but with that deal not done, Hooper and Lewis Grabban – who was wanted by his former club Bournemouth – have stayed put.

Fulham must now decide whether to renew their interest – and see if the Canaries are willing to let him leave – next week, when Football League clubs are able to make loan signings again.



Read more: http://www.scunthorpetelegraph.co.uk/GARY-HOOPER-Fulham-wait-loan-Norwich-City-8217-s/story-27717323-detail/story.html#ixzz3kYux1Jd8
Follow us: @ScunTelegraph on Twitter | thisisscunny on Facebook

[WhiteJC]

 
Selling the farm

More news about a young player we'll never really see.

A source close to the situation divulged on Tuesday afternoon that the 19-year-old will be allowed to leave Craven Cottage for training-only stints with prospective buyers as the Championship season unfolds. It is in this manner that he can choose his next employer.
The 19 year old is Emerson Hyndman, who actually looked pretty capable in the team's engine room under Magath, has shown composure beyond his years, and is now certain to go somewhere else.

It's probably too soon to mark this down as 'an alarming trend', but equally, we had high hopes for this generation of Fulham youngsters and one by one they're all disappearing.

The article above notes that Fulham have offered a new deal to the player, but, just as happened with Patrick Roberts, have little power in the situation with the contract on the verge of expiring.  I appreciate that it's easy to sit here and criticise things that are presumably much harder to control than we might ever imagine, BUT it's dismaying to see another talented player about to leave.  Dan Burn can go in the summer, so too can Moussa Dembele, and Lasse Vigen Christensen can be off a year later.

Part of me wishes the club had done what Magath actually tried to do, namely commit to youth. We all saw how dangerous a tactic that could have been, but in many ways it's hard to disentangle the general idea from the executioner of this idea: could someone like Dario Gradi have made this approach work?

You can build a team any way you like, but if you're somehow able to grow one from within then there's a suspicion that somehow this is a better thing, that this leads to better outcomes.  In a parallel universe out there is a team that's competing for the 2019-20 Premier League title, with grizzly veteran David Stockdale in goal, twin pillars Burn and Burgess (together as a pairing for 5 seasons) at the heart of the defence, and Hyndman and LVC running games from the middle of the park.  Patrick Roberts is unstoppable on the wing, and Woodrow and Dembele are almost telepathic by now.

No, I know.  This couldn't and wouldn't have happened, but it's a future that's within the realms of the dreamable, a path the club might have taken, a path that could scarcely have been worse than the one the club *did* take, and one that would have united the fan base for some time.  Everyone likes to see the kids getting a chance, and a home-grown team would have felt special.

Naive, nonsensical, I know, I know.  But every time one of these gifted young players leaves the club for not much we're reminded of the extent to which the whole organisation has made an absolute dog's dinner of the last few seasons.  It's been beyond shambolic.


https://cravencottagenewsround.wordpress.com/2015/09/01/selling-the-farm/?