Wednesday Fulham Stuff (11/11/15)...

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Forest On Sale

The Whites kick-off December on the road when they take on Nottingham Forest (Saturday 5th December, 3pm).

Travel to The City Ground as the boys look to mark the start of the festive season with three points. Tickets for the clash are priced at £26 adults and from £7 for juniors.

Season Ticket Holders and Members can purchase tickets at 10am on Tuesday 10th November, with remaining seats on General Sale from 10am Tuesday 17th November.

Supporters can purchase online at fulhamfc.com/tickets, by phone on 0843 208 1234 (option 2) or in person from the Fulham Ticket Office.


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2015/november/10/forest-on-sale?

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Why Rosler's Leeds spell suggests he'd be a terrible appointment for Fulham

The former Leeds boss has been linked with a move to Craven Cottage.

On Monday afternoon, HITC Sport reported that former Leeds United boss Uwe Rosler is in the frame for the Fulham job.

Many Fulham fans aren't exactly enamoured with the news but some feel the 46-year-old is due a fair chance after suffering at the hands of Leeds owner Massimo Cellino.

Perhaps. But Rosler's tenure at Elland Road suggests there were enough faults with his management that he won't be able to turn out any differently in west London.

Rosler was 'nice' at Leeds but that also meant he was passive and, in fact, rather boring. He couldn't motivate his players and his comments to the press lacked any sort of ambition.

The German's odds have shortened to 12/1 according to Sky Bet and the suggestions are that the Cottagers are genuinely considering hiring him.

The last time Fulham had a German in charge, of course, we all know what happened.

That should in no way count against Rosler - nationality means nothing and going 'British' is a myth when it comes to success, look at Tim Sherwood, Kit Symons, Brendan Rodgers and more.

But the former Leeds boss does have the potential to frustrate fans like Felix Magath (although nowhere near as much).

It's fair to credit Rosler for his work at Brentford and also fair to acknowledge the circus that surrounded him at both Wigan and Leeds. But he is his own worst enemy and, if Fulham want a long-term option, he is nowhere near the right man for the job.

His insistence on his 'philosophy' - one that doesn't actually amount to anything, just a rigid 4-3-3 that isolates the front man - and always being right demonstrates an arrogance that won't lead to any success. For Rosler himself, meanwhile, waiting would be best. He may have a burning desire to prove Leeds wrong - which is often a recipe for further failure.


http://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2015/11/09/why-roslers-leeds-spell-suggests-hed-be-a-terrible-appointment-f/?

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Opinion: Should Danny Murphy go for the Fulham manager's job?

Fulham FC have been without a manager since Kit Symons' departure on Sunday, they currently lie in 12th place in the Sky Bet Championship: above rivals QPR, but a fair way off Shahid Khan's expectations.

Conveniently, there is now an international break, so there will be plenty of time for a decision to be made.

Former Fulham player and captain, Danny Murphy's name has been mentioned by the media, as there seems to be growing interest in what Murphy plans to do in his life after football.

Originally, after the sacking of Felix Magath in September 2014, Murphy made it common knowledge that he fancied the job. Nothing really ever happened, and Murphy ended up being handed a punditry role for the BBC.

Since 2013, Murphy has been working on earning his coaching badges. A coach in the Football League needs an FA B License (or higher) in order to be allowed to work. Danny Murphy earned his B license back in 2013.

However, if Fulham came knocking; that would be an offer which Murphy just simply couldn't, and wouldn't, refuse, right?

Maybe, due to Danny Murphy being an inexperienced manager; he could be an assistant to a more experienced manager, and gain invaluable experience that could serve him well in the future. He is still a young man after all.

Many fans on Twitter have been calling for the former Whites captain to return, as he seems to talk sense and understand modern football.

One fan, @AnthonyBlair94, tweeted: "Danny Murphy for Fulham manager! #FFC". Another, @TartanJam82, also tweeted in support: "Oh, and Danny Murphy for Assistant manager please @FulhamFC."

Murphy spent five seasons at Fulham making more than 200 appearances.

As we have seen with the much-loved Garry Monk at Swansea, Gary Neville at Manchester United and even Harry Redknapp at West Ham United, former-players can go on to bring success to the club which love them dearly. The fans adore what Murphy has done for the club, and Murphy has an immense respect and love for the Fulham fans.

Currently, Murphy's odds of 33/1 suggest he's in with an outside chance, while Sky Bet have former footballer Jimmy Floyd-Hasselbaink as favourite at 7/4.


Read more at http://footballleagueworld.co.uk/opinion-should-danny-murphy-go-for-the-fulham-managers-job/?#iBGt27kvXXqzgzVd.99

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Oscar Garcia joins Fulham short list as club seek new manager



Former Watford boss Oscar Garcia is one of the names on Fulham's list as they seek to appoint their next head coach.

Nigel Pearson, Paul Lambert and Uwe Rosler are all under consideration by the Championship club as they seek to replace Kit Symons, who was sacked at the weekend following a 5-2 home defeat by Birmingham.

That result left Fulham 12th in the table, eight points adrift of a play-off spot, and persuaded the club's owners to act as they seek to propel the club back into the top flight, from which they were relegated at the end of the 2013-14 season. Garcia has coached both Brighton and Watford, but his spell at Vicarage Road was cut short early in the  2014-15 campaign due to concerns about his health.

Brighton reached the play-offs under Garcia in 2014-15 but were defeated in the semi-finals by Derby, after which the Spaniard resigned. While Garcia is not currently considered one of the favourites, his work at Brighton impressed many.

Garcia has had two spells in charge of Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv and has worked in the youth ranks at Barcelona.


http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/oscar-garcia-joins-fulham-short-list-as-club-seek-new-manager-a3110806.html?

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Fulham lay out blueprint for new boss and rule out top names

One man at the Cottage will draw up short list

Fulham are looking for a head coach rather than a manager to replace Kit Symons.

The subtle difference in title for the fifth man in two years hoping to find a winning formula at Craven Cottage rules out old school chiefs in sole charge deciding everything from top to bottom - and spending freely as they do it.

The inside word to GetWestLondon rules out Harry Redknapp and Steve Bruce for starters, and shunts a few others down the odds list.

The new favourite is Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink at 5/2 with Sky Bet Victor, who also topped the QPR odds a day back to replace Chris Ramsey.


Focus: Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink
Fulham are willing to pay compensation for the right man, but that depends on the findings of chief football officer Mike Rigg.

Symons was famously appointed by a five-man committee that included former stalwarts Danny Murphy and Brian McBride.

But Rigg, former QPR 'technical director', will draw up a short list on his own, and take his findings to Whites owner Shahid Khan, and right-hand man Mark Lamping, who runs Khan's American NFL franchise, Jacksonville Jaguars.


Out: Steve Bruce (L) with Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho
Fulham hope to have a new man in place by the time they face MK Dons away on Saturday week following the international break

Meanwhile, training sessions are being run by Mark Pembridge and Sean Reed, overseen by Alan Curbishley, who advised Symons and is sixth favourite at 10/1.

However, the former Charlton boss told Symons last season he didn't fancy a return to the rough and tumble of day-to-day management.



http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/fulham-lay-out-blueprint-new-10419847?

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Ex-Brighton and Watford boss on Fulham boss shortlist

Fulham are said to be considering former Brighton and Watford manager Oscar Garcia to replace Kit Symons according to Evening Standard. He has been out of work since departing Watford in September 2014 because of health problems.

Whilst Paul Lambert, Nigel Pearson and Uwe Rosler are also all being considered for the role of Head Coach at Craven Cottage, it now appears a fourth game can be added to that shortlist. Symons was sacked this weekend following a heavy home defeat against Birmingham City, a result which left the club eight points off the play-off places.

42-year-old Garcia enjoyed a productive playing career, beginning his career at Barcelona before moving on to clubs such as Valencia and Espanyol. He has worked closely with the likes of Johan Cruyff in his coaching career, also enjoying two spells with Israeli side Maccabi Tel Aviv, winning the Israeli Premier League title with them in 2013.

Although he isn't considered to be one of the outright favourites to take over, it was his work at Brighton which is said to have impressed the Fulham hierarchy. He was in charge for one season with the East Sussex side, before offering his resignation following a Play-Off Semi-Final defeat to Derby County, which was accepted.

There is the obvious concern of his health issues but it would be unlikely for him to be offered any role before receiving assurances of his current condition. Minor chest pains forced him to miss a Watford game, before he eventually resigned a few weeks later. Assuming everything is OK on that front, he would certainly provide attractive football for the Fulham faithful.


http://the72.co.uk/39483/ex-brighton-and-wolves-boss-on-fulham-boss-shortlist/?

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Everton's Luke Garbutt vows to return to Blues stronger after difficult start to Fulham loan

Twenty-two-year-old was out until October after damaging ankle ligaments


Luke Garbutt, Fulham
LUKE GARBUTT'S ankle injury has seen him endure a "difficult start" to life on loan at Fulham.

But the Everton left-back is convinced that he will be better for the experience when he returns to Goodison.

Garbutt signed a new five-year-deal with the Blues in the summer but agreed to spend a season out on loan in the Championship with Fulham.

The 22-year-old, after some impressive performances for Everton last term, was expected to be first-choice at Craven Cottage.

But after damaging ankle ligaments on the eve of the new season, Garbutt has been restricted to just five appearances - and only two of them have been starts.

"Last season I did well at Everton and my ambition was to really push on," Garbutt said.

"But the injury has knocked me back quite a lot so I have just got to keep working hard in training and I believe I will come out of it stronger."

He added: "The idea was to come and play games, it's just one of those things, the injury has disrupted that.

"I have just got keep going and see where it takes me."

Fulham signed Middlesbrough's James Husband as cover for the Garbutt, initially only for a month, but extended his loan in September.

Husband has remained first-choice for much of the season but his sending off against Birmingham City last weekend - coupled with the arrival of a new manager following Kit Symons' sacking - could see Garbutt win his place back.

"We had a pre-season game against Crystal Palace, it was our last pre-season game of the summer, and it happened in about the 70th minute," Garbutt said.

"I've just gone to block a cross and done the top of my ligament.

"It was a 90% rupture so I was out for about eight or nine weeks.

"The initial diagnosis was more like six to eight, but it ended up being at the back of eight.

"I was training but it took me a while to get over the injury.

"There were three games in a week, I came in and played twice but then he has wanted to rest me and then the team had done well.

"Now I'm really trying to find my match fitness."

"The last couple of weeks, my ankle has felt a lot better," he added.

"I'm on strappings and I don't really like strappings.

"I'm saying to the physios at Fulham now that I want to lay off the strappings and I'm feeling much better."

So what does Garbutt make of the Championship?

"The Championship is Tuesday-Saturday Tuesday-Saturday," he said.

"It's very much game after game after game, it's relentless.

"The quality lacks at times but they are very honest players in this league.

"They play with a lot of energy, they're strong, have pace but tend to lack a little bit of quality in the final third and in possession but it's a learning curve for myself.

"I'm just waiting to get my chance and then hopefully sustain a run in the team.

"It has been a difficult start."


http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/evertons-luke-garbutt-vows-return-10419879?

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BRISTOL CITY: Will managerial change at Fulham revive Robins' interest in striker Matt Smith?

BRISTOL City have been put on alert by Fulham's decision to sack manager Kit Symons at the weekend.

The Cottagers are in the market for a new first team coach with Nigel Pearson, Paul Lambert and Uwe Rosler top of the list of people they wish to talk to.

And Championship rivals City will be keeping an eye on developments in West London in the hope that striker Matt Smith might become available for transfer.



Read more: http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/BRISTOL-CITY-change-Fulham-reveive-Robins-Matt/story-28147198-detail/story.html#ixzz3r8F6dBoL
Follow us: @BristolPost on Twitter | bristolpost on Facebook

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Former Newcastle boss John Carver in for Fulham job

HITC Sport understands former Newcastle manager John Carver has applied for the Fulham job.

Former Newcastle United boss John Carver has thrown his hat into the ring the vacant manager's job at Fulham, HITC Sport understands from sources close to the club.

Fulham are searching for a new boss following the sacking of Kit Symons last weekend, 24 hours after their 5-2 defeat to Birmingham City.

A host of names have been linked with the vacancy at Craven Cottage, including the likes of former Aston Villa boss Paul Lambert, ex-Leicester City chief Nigel Pearson and former Leeds United manager Uwe Rosler

However, several targets could be ruled out of the running for the role, with Fulham preferring to bring in a head coach rather than a manager.

Carver is highly-regarded in coaching circles in England after accumulating over 15 years experience of top-level experience with Newcastle, Leeds United and Sheffield United.

Carver took charge of Newcastle in January following the departure of Alan Pardew to Crystal Palace and despite a poor run of form, he managed to guide the club to safety in the Premier League on the final day of the season.

The 50-year-old is currently out of work after leaving Newcastle in the summer, following the appointment of Steve McClaren as the club's new head coach, and Carver is thought to be keen to get his coaching career back on track


http://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2015/11/10/former-newcastle-boss-carver-in-for-fulham-job/?

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Kit Symons' reign at Fulham reviewed

Writing an article last week, the future of Fulham Football Club looked the brightest it had it a long time and despite the sacking of their fourth manager in less than three seasons, there are still many reasons to be positive for Fulham fans.

Fulham's 5-2 home loss to Birmingham on Saturday was the last straw in Kit Symons first spell as a permanent manager, leaving his Fulham record at 22 wins 17 draws and 25 losses. The record itself shows that you could never quite predict what was going to happen at Fulham over the Welshman's reign and this was probably the main reason for his downfall.

Fulham's 5-2 home loss to Birmingham on Saturday was the last straw in Kit Symons first spell as a permanent manager, leaving his Fulham record at 22 wins 17 draws and 25 losses. The record itself shows that you could never quite predict what was going to happen at Fulham over the Welshman's reign and this was probably the main reason for his downfall.


http://the72.co.uk/39467/kit-symons-reign-fulham-reviewed/?

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Meet Archibald Leitch: The man who invented the football stadium

He bounced back from disaster to design and build dozens of our most famous grounds, but who was Archibald Leitch? His biographer (and renowned football architecture historian) Simon Inglis explains all...

Be honest. The football ground you go to most often, the stand you sit in: do you know who designed it? The name of the architects?
Don't worry if you haven't a clue. You're not alone. You go for the football, for your team, for the craic – not to become an expert in stadium design or construction.

No one should, therefore, be surprised to learn that when Archibald Leitch died in April 1939, two days short of his 74th birthday, there was not a single obituary in any newspaper. Not so much as a news item.

Even in the architectural and engineering journals that you'd think would have taken a close interest in the stadium business – as they do today – there was just one brief entry. It appeared in the Journal of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers, the professional body to which Archie belonged, and it all it said was that Leitch had been a 'consulting engineer and a factory architect'. No mention of which factories, and no mention at all of football grounds.

No mention despite the fact that, had you gone to a Football League match in April 1939, you'd have had roughly a one in three chance of either standing on a terrace or sitting in a stand designed by Archibald Leitch's company. At his peak in the 1920s, 16 out of the 22 clubs in the First Division had hired Archie at one time or another.

Between 1900 and 1939 his client list included Manchester United, Liverpool, Everton, Blackburn, Tottenham, Arsenal, Chelsea, Fulham, Crystal Palace, Millwall,  Charlton, Southampton, Portsmouth, Aston Villa, Wolves, Derby, Sunderland, Middlesbrough, Huddersfield, both Sheffield clubs and both Bradford clubs (City and Bradford Park Avenue).

In his native Scotland Leitch worked at Rangers, Hearts, Dundee, Kilmarnock, Hamilton and at Hampden Park.

Other commissions included Windsor Park in Belfast, Dalymount Park in Dublin, plus a stand at Twickenham and a complete greyhound and speedway stadium at West Ham, where in the early 1930s there was a doomed attempt to establish a Football League club (Thames AFC, not to be confused with the turn-of-the-century Thames Ironworks who became West Ham United).
No other firm of architects or engineers, before or since, has clocked up such a client base in British sport.

Learning the ropes
How did he manage it? Firstly, as a factory architect Leitch was used to building functional structures quickly and cheaply – just what budget-conscious football clubs wanted. Secondly, Leitch himself was, as all good architects need to be, a great salesmen, and one who clearly loved football. (That he was also an active freemason undoubtedly helped at certain clubs.)

But thirdly, and most tellingly, until the late 20th century there were very few architects who bothered with football. Leitch cornered the market. He was a safe pair of hands.

And yet how differently it might have worked out.

Back at the turn of the century, newly set up on his own account as a 'consulting engineer and factory architect' in his native Glasgow, and already with several factory designs under his belt, Leitch's first major football commission was to design a new stadium for Rangers, the club he supported.

Designing factories was one thing: factories had been around for decades. Building a football ground for 80,000 spectators in the early 1900s was quite another challenge. There were few precedents. Most football grounds of the period just sort of grew, stand by stand, terrace by terrace. At best, a would-be stand designer could pick up a few design tips from theatres and music halls. They might also learn a thing or two from the Colosseum and other classical ruins.

Otherwise, it was a case of swotting up on the geometrical basics (sightlines and so on), addressing the engineering requirements (loadings, stresses, materials etc), and hoping that things worked out.

In Leitch's case they did not work out.

Bouncing back from disaster
On the first occasion his newly completed Ibrox Park was tested by a capacity crowd – for Scotland's match against the Auld Enemy on 5 April 1902 – a short section of timber terracing behind one of the goals gave way, sending 25 fans to their deaths.

Archie witnessed the disaster at first hand. What should have been the proudest day of his professional life turned into an designer's worst nightmare. A system failure... and a tragedy.

It was said of the engineer Sir Thomas Bouch that he died 'a broken man' after the collapse of his recently completed Tay Bridge in Dundee in 1879. In 1902 Archie faced similar angst. Even though he escaped official censure after an uncomfortable public enquiry, it seemed unlikely he'd work in football again, especially after Rangers hired another consulting engineer to undertake a rethink.

But Leitch was no quitter. If nothing else he had shown while giving evidence that he was a man of confidence, and even wit. (Then, as now, you couldn't get on in the boardrooms of football clubs without enjoying a drink or a joke.) So first he persuaded Rangers to take him back on.

Then he did what any decent designer would do in the circumstances. He went back to the drawing board.

Redesigning the terrace
The result of his deliberations would be made public at two grounds, both in 1905: Fulham's Craven Cottage and Chelsea's Stamford Bridge.

At both, Leitch built a new form of football terrace. Designed to overcome all the weaknesses exposed at Ibrox, where spectators stood on timber boards laid on an iron framework, the improved Leitch terrace was built on a bank of earth (or in certain areas the spoil from coal mines).

Each terrace step and tread was measured. To create more manageable pens, vertical and lateral aisles were positioned at regular intervals, each aisle being sunken to dissuade fans from standing in them.

Instead of the timber posts and rails that had, until that point, sufficed to form crush barriers, Leitch designed a tubular steel barrier that could be bolted onto steel rails running under the concrete, to add strength.

So convinced was Leitch of this solution that in 1906 he took out a patent, entitled 'an improved method of constructing the terracing and accessories thereof in football and other sports grounds'.

Leaning on Archie
Little did I know that when I first stood on the Holte End at Villa Park in 1966 I was standing on just such a terrace, spending many an hour thereafter leaning against a patented Leitch barrier. As did millions of other terrace fans, generation after generation.

Nor, at that time, did I realise that the same man had been responsible for designing the magnificent Trinity Road Stand at Villa Park. In fact, I strongly believe that it was this building, completed in 1924, that inspired me to become an historian of football architecture (or 'anorak' as some would have it).

Since my biography of Leitch was published, the confirmed list of his clients has continued to grow. It now appears that he worked at Chesterfield's Saltergate, and, as many had suspected, that after his death his company also designed the Mayflower Stand at Plymouth's Home Park in the early 1950s. More on this – the Leitch company's last commission before it was wound up in about 1956 – can be read in Russell Moore's new history Home Park, a Pictorial History.

As for Archie's legacy, much of his work has long gone, my beloved Trinity Road Stand included (in 2000). This was largely as a result of the Taylor Report into the Hillsborough disaster of 1989, which took place on a Leitch terrace that had been modified with fateful consequences.

Two Leitch stands look likely to survive. The wonderful Johnny Haynes Stand at Craven Cottage, and its adjoining pavilion ('the Cottage'), both built in 1905, are listed Grade II and have been sensitively restored by Fulham. Full marks to them.

Also listed and well preserved, albeit having been extended, is Archie's South Stand at Ibrox, completed in 1929 – while another Leitch survivor, one of his more basic models, is the main stand at Dundee, dating from 1922.

Leitch lingers in Liverpool
Elsewhere the concrete core of Leitch's main stand at Anfield, built in 1906, lives on remarkably, buried deep within the vast new stand being built around it this year.

Across Stanley Park, two others Leitch stands survive at Goodison Park: the Bullens Road Stand (1926) and Gwladys Road (1938).
Neither may be around for much longer, such is Everton's need to rebuild. The same can be said of the East Stand at Tottenham (due for the chop next year), and the main stand at Crystal Palace (which is in any case much altered). Two stands at Portsmouth and Hearts are also currently on borrowed time.

As for Leitch terraces, the last complete surviving examples in England were at Saltergate. Just before the ground was demolished in 2010, I contacted Chesterfield to see if any of the barriers might be saved. Again, full credit to the club, they agreed, the result of which is that two short Leitch barriers can now be seen at the National Football Museum in Manchester and the Scottish Football Museum at Hampden Park – appropriately enough, for Hampden boasted by far the largest number of Leitch barriers ever seen in one place, managing to hold 149,000 for Scotland vs England in 1937.

So Archie has not been forgotten after all. And nor will the architects and engineers of today. For even if most fans don't know who designed their favourite stand or stadium, you can be sure that the information is out there somewhere, on a website, in a magazine, in a journal, in a club programme.

Backed by big corporations and marketing, conferences and exhibitions, today's stadium and arena industry thrives.

What would Archie say? No question – he would be delighted. And fascinated. But perhaps not best pleased when he saw what had happened to his beloved Rangers...

ALSO BY SIMON INGLIS A brief history of football grounds
Simon Inglis is the author of a number of books on football history, architecture and sporting heritage. Engineering Archie, his biography of Archibald Leitch, was published in 2005 and is now out of print, but there are plans to bring out a second edition. For details see www.playedinbritain.co.uk


Read more at http://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/meet-archibald-leitch-man-who-invented-football-stadium#1hTeQltx26TPDAL5.99

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Who exactly is the man choosing the next Fulham manager? Five things you need to know about Mike Rigg

Whites short list to be drawn up by ex-QPR man


Football chief: Mike Rigg

Fulham have laid the responsibility for finding the next manager mostly at the feet of chief football officer Mike Rigg, who joined the club in December last year.

Who is he?

Rigg was a failed footballer who started in Football in the Community projects at lowly clubs
Cheshire-born Rigg sold a neat line in self deprecation when he described himself as a 'former slow, inept midfielder,' he told Goal.com.

Instead he cut his teeth on Football in the Community schemes at Wrexham and Chester in the late 1980s and early 1990s before moving on to better things.

As 'technical director' at Manchester City and QPR, Rigg even researched top players shopping habits
His main job was to leave no stone unturned in digging out the next big thing - or making sure millions were spent on the right man.

Rigg told GetWestLondon in August 2012 when at QPR that his homework was so thorough 40-page dossiers on stars even outlined their leisure time habits - like shopping, to make sure his clubs got the right man.

He loves a flip chart
In the two interviews GetWestLondon conducted with Rigg at QPR, media officers were required to tote a large flip chart and stand into the room as a means to illustrate Rigg's points on players.

QPR's chairman Tony Fernandes was unimpressed at the time. "Can you due diligence on a human being? It's not an exact science," said the man in charge.

Mike Rigg was head of talent identification at the FA before he left to join Fulham
When Rigg was lured by Fulham to leave the FA and become the Whites football officer, The FA's Director of Elite Development Dan Ashworth, said: "We are really sorry to see Mike go but we totally understand his reasons.

"It was always likely he would move back into club football at some stage, as this type of role becomes increasingly common within the game.

"Mike has played a huge part in the transformation of the way in which we work in talent identification and helped build and shape a department that looks after both the male and female game."

Rigg believes agents are just doing their jobs - but clubs are buying the wrong players
Rigg is quoted as saying to Goal.com: "Everyone beats upon agents.

"They're doing their job – to manoeuvre the market and move on their players. It's not the agent's fault if you sign a bad right-back. It's the football club's fault if they don't have the records or dossiers on the players."



http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/who-exactly-man-choosing-next-10420224?

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Alan Curbishley hints at interest in vacant Fulham job

Alan Curbishley has refused to rule himself out of the running for the vacant Fulham head coach role.

The former Charlton Athletic and West Ham United boss is already part of the coaching staff at Fulham and is thought to have been leading training since Kit Symons was sacked at the weekend.

When asked if he would be keen on returning to management with the Cottagers, Curbishley, who left West Ham in 2008, did not rule it out. "It's up to other people," Curbishley, 58, told BBC London Sport.

"They need to think about what kind of manager they want. "It is an attractive job and I'm sure there are going to be lots of people who will be applying."

Symons was dismissed after Fulham's 5-2 home defeat to Birmingham City on Saturday which left them 12th in the Championship table.

Burton Albion manager Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink is the current favourite to replace Symons at Craven Cottage


Read more at: https://tr.im/uFaZR

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Whilst it was the right decision, it is important to remember Kit Symons for the right reasons
by CHRIS GILBERTSON on NOVEMBER 10, 2015

In the end it was a marriage that just wasn't meant to be.

Following another home defeat that was more humiliating than humbling, Kit Symons was dismissed as manager of Fulham Football Club over the weekend.

The defeat to Birmingham City on Saturday was the fourth time during Symons' tenure that Fulham have conceded 5 goals at home. Saturday's result highlighted the crippling defensive problems that will last as one of enduring legacies of the former defender's time in charge at Craven Cottage.

What mustn't be forgotten once the dust has settled on Symons exit is that Kit has left Fulham in a far better state than he found it. Whilst his reign as manager was not spectacular, or even overly successful, it served a very important purpose given the position inherited following Felix Magath's departure.

Under his immediate predecessors, Fulham went from Premier League stalwarts to becoming very serious candidates for Championship relegation. Symons' year in charge was the first step on the long road back. From a position of considerable weakness, Symons leaves behind a solid platform on which to build.

The move by Mike Rigg and Fulham to move on from Symons is one that points to the future as much as it does to the past. This isn't a move born simply out of results, although Saturday's defeat undoubtedly made it easier. It is a conscious decision to take Fulham above and beyond where Symons would have been able to take us.

On paper Symons had everything we could want in a Fulham manager – a former fan favourite, off pitch affability and a genuine desire to take the job. Unfortunately it became fairly obvious not too long after he was given the job permanently that those off-field credentials were not backed up by any natural managerial talent. If that sounds harsh, it is not meant to. He was the right man at the right time last season, but this season was just a step too far for a man with no managerial experience. Eight horrendous games at the start of last season are no reason to accept mediocrity this season.

A mutual parting of the ways back in the summer would have been better all round. Even after he was allowed to drop the "Caretaker" from his job title, Kit's role last season was really that of extended caretaker, getting us to the end of the season when the whole club could start again.

Whilst even his most ardent detractors (and there were an ever steady and increasingly growing number) would admit much of last season's malaise was due to the poorly assembled and browbeaten squad he inherited, his managerial inexperience often showed. Aside from his inability as a former defender to organise our defence, Symons leaves behind a record of consistently inconsistent performances and results.

In moving into a second season, Kit gave up any chance of being treated with a degree of home-grown forgiveness when it came to his job status. Ours is a fanbase that has become accustomed to disappointment over the past few seasons. Success breeds short memories and disappointment lingers. Whilst Symons was excused for last season, he was under pressure from Day One this year. After a full season in charge, there became a point when tactical naivety began to a lot like ineptitude and it was obvious this was as far as he could take us.

The warning signs were ominous, in less than a calendar year, the Hammersmith End went from singing "stand up for the Kit Symons" to "you don't know what you're doing". Symons's early success had set him up for failure.

It is a sad end to a long Fulham career, but as soon as he threw away the shackles of caretakerdom, Kit exposed himself to the harsh realities of management. His departure is the right decision and my hope is that in time, Symons is remembered as the man who stepped into the breach when called upon and saw us through in our season of need. He does not deserve anything less.

Like many Fulham fans I wish Kit Symons well. I would be surprised if he is offered an immediate return to management elsewhere, but hope that in time that Fulham can find a place for him to return home in another capacity, and that Kit could find the humility to return.

Deciding to replace Symons is only the first step, where Mike Rigg goes next is the most important part of the entire story.

Like the rest of the fanbase I sit with baited breath to see who comes in.

COYW


http://hammyend.com/index.php/2015/11/whilst-it-was-the-right-decision-it-is-important-to-remember-kit-symons-for-the-right-reasons/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Ex Premier League boss wants Fulham job

Ex Newcastle United boss John Carver is interested in replacing Kit Symons as Fulham boss, according to the Daily Mail.

Symons was sacked as Fulham manager after they lost 5-2 to Birmingham City at Craven Cottage on Saturday, a defeat which left them occupying 12th place in the Championship.

The club are said to be looking to appoint a head coach, rather than going with the more traditional manager role. He would be expected to work chief football officer Mike Rigg.

Carver has been out of football since being sacked at the end of last season, after enduring a difficult spell in charge of Newcastle United. He did manage to keep the North-East giants in the top flight, although their performances under him received widespread criticism from fans and pundits alike.

However, it is now believed, according to the Daily Mail, that Carver would like to get back into football with Fulham, a side who have struggled since being relegated from the Premier League in 2014.

Despite this, the west London club have a strong squad for the level they're currently at, meaning that Carver will have resources to work with if he is to land the job.

Carver will also have a fight on his hands to get the job, with Sky Bet currently making Burton Albion boss Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink the odds-on favourite.


http://the72.co.uk/39501/ex-premier-league-boss-wants-fulham-job/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham manager's job "attractive" to Alan Curbishley

Former Charlton and West Ham boss Alan Curbishley has refused to rule himself out of the running for the vacant manager's job at Fulham.

The 58-year-old was an advisor to Kit Symons at Craven Cottage before the Welshman was sacked on Sunday.

"It's up to other people. They need to think about what kind of manager they want," Curbishley said.

"It is an attractive job and I'm sure there are going to be lots of people who will be applying."

Symons was dismissed following Saturday's 5-2 defeat at home to Birmingham, which left the Cottagers 12th in the Championship table, eight points off the play-off places.

Chairman Shahid Khan said he wanted to take the west London club "to a higher level of success" as they seek a return to the Premier League following relegation in 2014.

Curbishley has been out of management since leaving West Ham in 2008, but had a spell as technical director with Fulham in 2013-14 before becoming an advisor to Symons earlier this year.

"I won two promotions [with Charlton] and been in the play-offs before," Curbishley told BBC Radio London.

Alan Curbishley factfile
Curbishley spent 15 years as Charlton Athletic manager between 1991 and 2006, establishing the club in the Premier League
He subsequently had a two-year spell in charge of West Ham but resigned in September 2008 because of a lack of control over transfer policy
Had a two-month spell as technical director at Fulham in 2013-14, leaving when Felix Magath became manager
Rejoined the Whites in an advisory capacity to now-departed manager Kit Symons earlier this year

First-team coaches Mark Pembridge and Sean Reed are currently supervising training as chief football officer Mike Rigg conducts the search for a new manager.

Curbishley says Fulham are capable of finishing in the top six this season.

"With the top two at the moment on 30-odd points, it is a big haul to catch them," he said.

"Fulham have got a side which could, on its day, beat anyone 4-0. But they could get beat 4-0. Whoever comes in has got to try and change that a little bit.

"You have got to get the results. That was why it was a galling situation at the weekend for Fulham, because if we had beaten Birmingham we would have gone two points behind them.

"It is difficult, but it can be done."


http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/34778742

[WhiteJC]

 
Community Spirit Campaign

Fulham is throwing its support behind a nationwide campaign for a community project or charity to win a re-decoration makeover worth up to £10,000.

Charities and community groups have until Friday 11th December to let Johnstone's Trade know why their project is deserving of a redecoration by completing the application form at www.johnstonestrade.com/communityspirit

Any charity or community project in the local area is welcome to apply.

The Community Spirit campaign is run in conjunction with the Football League Trophy, which is being sponsored by Johnstone's for the tenth consecutive season in 2015/16.

The 48 clubs involved in this season's Johnstone's Paint Trophy – as well as the 24 clubs from the Sky Bet Championship – are being urged to encourage as many charities or community projects from their local area to enter.

Last year's Johnstone's Trade Community Spirit campaign saw Milton Keynes-based charity MK Snap – which offers support to more than 100 people in the city with learning difficulties – see off competition from scores of other charities and community groups to win the makeover.

MK Snap was one of four shortlisted projects, along with entries from Portsmouth, Preston and Dagenham, but came out on top of a national public vote and saw its facility receive a colourful makeover.

This year's competition will follow the same process with the general public invited to vote for one of four shortlisted finalists to win the prize.

Richard Mazurkiewicz, marketing manager for Johnstone's Trade, said: "After the success of last year's Johnstone's Community Spirit campaign, we are delighted to be offering this fantastic opportunity for charities and community groups in and around Fulham.

"There is no project too small – whether it be a rundown scout hut, a school in need of a makeover or a community centre requiring a lick of paint.

"The only proviso is that the facility or group must provide a community benefit.

"Johnstone's Trade has always maintained a strong commitment to working closely with local communities and this exciting campaign allows us to focus on that."

After being announced as the winner, Maureen McColl, chief executive of MK Snap, said: "We were thrilled to win the Johnstone's Trade Community Spirit competition and the difference the re-decoration has made to the centre is incredible.

"Our learners all have a very positive outlook on life and now they have a colourful and vibrant environment in which to come into every day.

"I would urge all charities and community projects to enter the competition because it can transform the environment in which they work."

Johnstone's has been bringing colour to the beautiful game through its sponsorship of the Football League Trophy since 2006.


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2015/november/10/community-spirit-campaign?

[WhiteJC]

 
Thanks Kit, but who's next for Fulham?

After just over a year in charge following his appointment back in October 2014, this week has seen the club relinquish Kit Symons duties as first-team manager and once again we find ourselves managerless and seeking an appointment that offers the club a chance to push for promotion to the Premier League.

Feelings towards Symons had become rather fraught over the past few months with many fans having been calling for a change of the guard for some time. While I was always of the belief that the appointment of Symons in the first place was never one made with view to promotion, I think it is important that we as fans take time to thank Kit for the work he has undertaken over the past 12 months and the fact that we are now, as a club, a lot more of an attractive proposition for many managers than we had been under Magath.

Despite some poor results, Fulham fans have a lot to thank Kit Symons for

There were certainly many instances where Symons lack of experience had been a major factor in failing to achieve results during his tenure although to focus on those would perhaps detract from the many positives the Welshman achieved during his time. I have no doubts that certain players had reached a stage where the lack of an experienced leader had become a problem but at the same time the relationships Symons had with both new players and the younger generation coming through only served to improve what was a poisonous atmosphere inherited this time last year.

A host of impressive summer acquisitions including Cairney, Ream, Stearman, Husband and Fredericks have all contributed to an improvement of squad balance, both in terms of ability and age group. If anything the quality and depth now available to any given incoming manager may well have been the very reason that most interpreted 12th place and eight points off the play-offs as an under-achievement at this stage of the season.

Initially I had anticipated that a change of manager around this period of the season would have allowed the right candidate to come in and take a talented young squad to the next level following a period of relative stability under Symons, although given the decision appears to have been made with no natural replacement having been identified, this is a concern.

Symons was never going to be a quick-fix solution but equally it seems a fruitless task in appointing a new man who at best will be focused on gaining promotion with no sense of longevity. Names such as Pearson, Lambert, Sherwood and co are all more experienced hires than Kit, but with the potential in the squad we need to be looking at someone more long-term, a philosophy that doesn't end in promotion but instead something that would allow us as a club to solidify and grow. While I don't doubt that promotion under Symons would have been a longer time coming, as a club we had a chance to develop a better candidate than we could attract which is still something we must keep in mind when assessing new managers.

My gut feeling tells me that Nigel Pearson is the safe option, although perhaps the likes of Laudrup, Moyes, Di Matteo and Brendan Rogers – a long shot – may see the opportunity to implement a philosophy without the pressure of immediate Premier League Football as the perfect chance to get back to management at an early stage.

Here's to the next step ! COYW !


http://www.shoot.co.uk/thanks-kit-but-whos-next-for-fulham/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Manchester United and Fulham star named in non-league's greatest XI

Former Maidstone United defender Chris Smalling has been named in a non-league greatest XI, after going on to star for Fulham, Manchester United and England.

Smalling started his career with the Stones, before signing for Fulham in June 2008, where he played for future England boss Roy Hodgson.

Smalling then earned a move to Manchester United in 2010, and he has since cemented his place at Old Trafford and in the England squad, with the centre-half earning plaudits for his performances so far this season.

And he has now been named by Luton Town boss John Still in his all-time non-league XI, which has featured in an article on the BBC website, inspired by the recent form of Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy, who himself started out in non-league.


http://www.maidstoneandmedwaynews.co.uk/Manchester-United-Fulham-star-named-non-league-s/story-28149034-detail/story.html?

[WhiteJC]

 
Scott Golbourne admits Wolverhampton Wanderers have missed Richard Stearman

Wolverhampton Wanderers sold Richard Stearman to Fulham in the summer transfer window.

Scott Golbourne has told the Express and Star that Wolverhampton Wanderers have missed the experience of Richard Stearman at the back this season.

Stearman was controversially allowed to leave Wolves in the summer transfer window after picking up their Player of the Season award for 2014-15.

So far the decision to let the commanding centre-back join Fulham has looked a poor one, with Wolves' defence being very porous over the opening part of the new term.

However, Golbourne believes that the addition of Mike Williamson from Newcastle United may have gone some way to covering the void that Stearman left.

"Him coming in, that little bit of experience, it helps," the full-back said.

"We lost a bit with [Richard] Stearman going so it's good to have some experience through the core of the team, centre half and midfield players, you do need it there, so that's steadied us up a little bit."

Williamson has arrived at Wolves on loan for a month, and he has made a big impact so far.

The 32-year-old has played three matches for Wolves, and in that time the team have conceded just one goal.

Unfortunately for Wolves, their defensive improvement has still not been able to help them climb the Championship table – with Kenny Jackett's side currently in 14th place.


http://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2015/11/10/scott-golbourne-admits-wolverhampton-wanderers-have-missed-richa/?