Thursday Fulham Stuff (29/10/15)...

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City v Fulham - SOLD OUT

All tickets snapped up for weekend encounter.
Saturday's home game between City and Fulham has SOLD OUT.

All tickets for the Sky Bet Championship encounter (Saturday, 3pm) have now been snapped up by home and away supporters.

Fans without tickets should not attend Ashton Gate on the day as no further tickets will be available.

Fulham, who include former City loan striker Matt Smith in their squad, currently sit 11th in the Championship.

Meanwhile, less than 1,000 tickets remain in the home end for next Tuesday's home clash with Wolves (November 3rd, 7.45pm).



Read more at http://www.bcfc.co.uk/news/article/city-v-fulham-sold-out-2769768.aspx#P9erKzvpS3ssoso3.99

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Ashton Gate Archive

Saturday sees the first meeting between Fulham and Bristol City in almost 18 years, so we've delved through the archives to see how the Whites fared on their three previous league trips to Ashton Gate.

Bristol City 1-5 Fulham – Division Three – 8th October 1988

Ray Lewington's Fulham side travelled to the West Country out of sorts 27 years ago. A strong start to the season, where they won three out of four, was followed by a drab run of two draws and two defeats.

The Robins has fared slightly better and sat one point and four places higher than their opponents in the table going into the fixture, and they went closest to breaking the deadlock when Scott McGarvey struck Jim Stannard's crossbar.

But it was the visitors who drew first blood when Robert Wilson rolled a free-kick on the edge of the box to Gary Peters who smashed it low and hard into the bottom corner. The following week the matchday programme commented that Peters injured himself in celebration of the strike, "caused by the over-enthusiasm of the other players' congratulations."

City pressed for an equaliser before half-time but Fulham grabbed the game's next goal on the counter attack. Wilson spotted Andy Sayer in space on the left-hand side, and the striker ran from his own half before finishing inside the near post for 2-0.

The Whites then killed the game after the restart when Jeff Eckhardt headed in off the bar from Justin Skinner's chip, before a fine John Marshall solo effort made it four.

Rob Newman pulled one back for the hosts from the penalty spot following an apparent foul by Glen Thomas, but Fulham had the final say when Sayer capitalised on a poor backpass to net his second and confirm his side's best away win since an 8-0 triumph at Halifax in 1969.

"What a delight that match turned out to be," Chairman Jimmy Hill said of the game in his subsequent programme notes. "Not so much that we scored such superb goals and took the three points, but to hear the compliments flying in the Board Room afterwards about the determination of the Fulham lads to compete for every ball as if their lives depended on it.

"That is so very heartening, because probably at the end of the day Fulham's health, life and future will depend on that attitude from everyone. Well done all."

The display was nominated by Bobby Robson as the 'Best Performance of the Day' in the Barclays League – the first time Fulham had won the accolade. The Whites went on to finish fourth in Division Three, but were beaten 5-0 on aggregate by the Robins' fierce rivals Bristol Rovers in the Play-Offs.

Bristol City 5-1 Fulham – Division Three – 16th April 1990

City enacted sweet revenge on Lewington's men just 18 months later, though, as they were defeated – in true Fulhamish style – by the same scoreline on our next league trip to the Gate.

Relegation was a real fear for Fulham going into the game with just one win in eight, but things got off to the perfect start when Eckhardt's second goal of the season put his side in front against the league leaders.

But Nicky Morgan equalised for the hosts, and the Whites fell apart thereafter. A mistake by Eckhardt allowed David Smith the opportunity to run through and round Stannard to put his side in front.

Newman extended the advantage when he was found unmarked from a corner soon after the restart, before Iain Ferguson made it 4-1 with a vicious shot that flew in via a Stannard arm.

Gary Shelton then completed the rout and, to compound Fulham's misery, Steve Milton was tripped a yard inside the City box, only to be awarded a free-kick by the referee who had found himself 40 yards behind the play.

"Those of you who went to Ashton Gate will have been encouraged by the start we made," Lewington said in 'Lew's Views'; his programme notes. "Jeff Eckhardt scored his second goal of the season early in the game and for a while we gave as good as we got.

"It was soon to fall apart however with Bristol City netting five times, two of the goals coming once more from set pieces. City probably deserved their victory but the margin hardly reflected the run of play.

"Nothing is going right for us at the moment and it doesn't help when a couple of your own defenders collide with one another, as Jeff and Gavin [Nebbeling] did to provide Bristol with their second goal.

"Their fourth came after a handball which everyone except the linesman saw and when Steve Milton was brought down late in the game well inside the area, the referee awarded us a free-kick."

The Whites stayed up despite taking just two points from their final four matches, while City went up in second behind Bristol Rovers.

Bristol City 0-2 Fulham – Division Two – 2nd September 1997

The Club was in a sombre mood going into this game following the death of Chairman Mohamed Al Fayed's son Dodi just days earlier in the car crash that also saw Princess Diana lose her life.

Manager Micky Adams had suggested that perhaps the match should have been postponed, but go ahead it did and Fulham went closest in the opening stages when Paul Moody's header from a Robbie Herrera cross thumped the crossbar.

Just two minutes later, another Herrera delivery brought the first goal as Aidan Newhouse nodded in for his fourth strike in six matches.

We had to wait until the 78th minute for the clincher, which arrived when Moody's shot was only parried by Robins goalkeeper Keith Welch, allowing substitute Richard Carpenter the opportunity to drill in via the post.

City won promotion via the automatic spots come the end of the season, while Fulham were unsuccessful in the Play-Offs against Grimsby Town.


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2015/october/28/ashton-gate-archive?

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Tube Announcements

If you're travelling on the tube on Thursday and are visiting Putney Bridge, Hammersmith or Parsons Green stations, keep an ear out and you may hear some familiar voices.

Ben Pringle and Jamie O'Hara have taken over the tannoy and will be encouraging commuters to donate to The Royal British Legion's Poppy Appeal.

Other famous voices – including the likes of Brian Blessed, Danny Dyer and Arsene Wenger – will be heard across the Tube network, at London's biggest and busiest railway stations and also on London's Trams. Poppy messages will also be displayed across 2,500 roadside countdown systems at bus stops.

London Poppy Day is part of the national Poppy Appeal that aims to raise as much money as possible in a single day to support the whole Armed Forces community.


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2015/october/28/tube-announcements?

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Bayern Munich scout exciting Championship striker

Fulham striker Moussa Dembele is being scouted by German giants Bayern Munich according to Read Bundesliga. The Craven Cottage club are hoping to agree a contract extension with their in-demand forward.

Premier League side Everton previously have been linked with Frenchman, and they, along with Serie A side Genoa are also said to be in the race to try and lure him away from the London club.

Bayern sent scouts to watch the recent Fulham against Leeds United game, which ended 1-1, a game where Dembele found the back of the net. The 19-year-old, who only scored his first league goal earlier this season, is having the first regular run of games in the team in his career. He joined the club at the age of 16 from Paris Saint-Germain, beating off a whole host of other clubs to his signature.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsHF6H4Ndrs

He was a regular in the Fulham Under-18 side which won the Premier Academy League during his first season. He made his Premier League debut in November 2013 against West Ham United and has also represented France from Under-16s up to Under-20s.

His current manager, Kit Symons, is hoping to tie down Dembele to a new five-year deal to remain at Craven Cottage. However if Pep Guardiola is showing an interest in him, then there is every chance he could be moving on in the very near future. He has scored five goals so far this season and Bayern Munich won't be the only scouts to have been watching him in recent times.


http://the72.co.uk/38843/bayern-munich-scout-exciting-championship-striker/?

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Grant's Hammers Reaction

Fulham Under-21s Manager Peter Grant was pleased with the manner in which his side secured three points on Monday night.

The Whites found themselves without the ball for the majority of the game, but a resolute defensive display and choosing the right times to attack saw them come away from the Boleyn Ground with a 2-0 win over West Ham United.

"The biggest positive was winning the game, but it was more the manner in which we won," Grant told the official website. "I believe we didn't play as well as we could've done with the ball, but we showed great diligence and a fantastic work ethic and nous to not concede much possession in dangerous areas.

"There have been a hell of a lot of games where we've probably had over 70 per cent possession and lost, whereas on Monday I think we had about 45 per cent possession and ended up winning 2-0.

"I thought we deserved the victory for the way we soaked up the pressure but also broke very quickly. We usually have most of the play and teams counter against us, so it was pleasing to see the shoe on the other foot and I was pleased for the boys.
"There's different ways to win games of football and there's different ways to progress as a footballer and I was very pleased with Monday because that was something we've not really shown before."

As has often been the case this season, it was a young side for an Under-21 outfit, with several of Steve Wigley's Under-18s making the step-up – something that Grant thinks bodes well for the future.

He stated: "We had 16-year-old Jon Dagur [Thorsteinsson] playing for us and he did very well, and young Dennis Adeniran came on and did very well in the game.

"We had some of the other 18s already starting the match, so it was a very young group of players and that's great from a development point of view.

"There was a nice atmosphere to the game, it was played at Upton Park, and I think it's an experience some of the boys will remember for the rest of their days because not many other people will get the opportunity to play at Upton Park now."

Goals in either half from Jordan Evans and Dean O'Halloran proved the difference against the East Londoners, with Evans' strike in particular catching the eye as his 30-yard free-kick broke the deadlock.

"Great credit to Jordan for taking it on," his Manager said of the effort. "That's what we say to the boys, you've got to have confidence to try things and add things to your game.

"He's done very well in certain games and not so well in others, so I was very pleased with him. His positional play was better on Monday as well, so his all-round game was better and he got his reward with a goal."


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2015/october/28/grants-hammers-reaction?

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Fulham provide in-form striker contract update amid Everton and Bayern Munich speculation

Fulham's Moussa Dembele celebrates scoring his side's first goal of the game against Leeds.

Fulham hope a new long-term contract for forward Moussa Dembele will be 'sorted soon' after he continued his fine goalscoring form against Reading.

The 19-year-old's double on Saturday took his tally for the campaign to six but he continues to be linked with a move away from the Cottage with Everton, AC Milan and Bayern Munich all said to be keeping a close eye.

And boss Kit Symons revealed that he Dembele is due to meet chairman Shahid Khan and they hope they will be able to tie down the exciting young forward as soon as possible.

"We're in talks at the moment, and the chairman [Shahid Khan] will be speaking to him," he told the Telegraph. "I hope it will be sorted soon."

A four-year deal is rumoured to be on the table for Dembele and putting pen to paper until 2020 would be a huge boost for Cottagers supporters.



Read more at: http://www.london24.com/sport/football/clubs/fulham/fulham_provide_in_form_striker_contract_update_amid_everton_and_bayern_munich_speculation_1_4288575
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