Wednesday Fulham Stuff (25/11/15)...

[WhiteJC]

 
No Approach Made for Rowett
   
Gary Rowett yesterday became the second favourite to replace Kit Symons as manager of Fulham. Several bookmakers reduced their odds from 20/1 to 9/2.

It is understood that Fulham are perusing Nigel Pearson but have earmarked Rowett as their go-to man should talks with the former Leicester City boss break down. However, at the time of writing, no approach has been made for Rowett`s services from Fulham or any other club.

Rowett, who has led Blues from second-bottom in the Championship to sixth in just over a year, is held in very high regard by various clubs. Blues` financial situation means that bigger predators will always consider taking a look at their manager whose current deal is a twelve-month rolling contract meaning the compensation figure is unlikely to put clubs off.

But the 41 year-old has always spoke of his happiness at St. Andrew's and on more than one occasion referred to the job as a 'privilege'.

When questioned, our source at Birmingham City refused to be drawn in to the speculation, but said- "We have received no approach from any club for our manager, nor has Gary expressed his wish to leave".

When asked about the possibility of a new, longer contract, our source said- "We appreciate the job Gary and his staff are doing. We are working together as best as we can to ensure their needs are met. They are aware of our plan over the longer term and have bought into that".

Come on Panos, make it happen!


Read more: http://www.birmingham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=422970#ixzz3sUA474Cg

[WhiteJC]

 
Man Utd poised to move for another France international striker

Manchester United have reportedly joined the hunt to sign Championship starlet Moussa Dembele.

The 13-time Premier League champions, who currently sit second in the standings after defeating Watford 2-1 on Saturday, are understood to be interested in signing the Fulham striker over the New Year.

The 19-year-old, who is a France Under-20 international, has scored an impressive nine goals in 19 appearances in all competitions for the Cottagers so far this season.

Although Fulham are desperate to keep hold of Dembele until the end of the season; when his current deal at Craven Cottage expires, it is understood that United, Premier League rivals Tottenham and Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich are all eyeing a January deal for the young forward.


http://www.shoot.co.uk/man-utd-poised-to-move-for-another-france-international-striker/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Youngster linked to Everton

Everton boss Roberto Martinez is said to be the latest in a long line of managers being linked with Fulham striker Moussa Dembele

Not to be confused with the Spurs player of the same name, Dembele, 19, has netted nine goals this season in 19 appearances for a struggling Cottagers side and his form has not gone unnoticed.

As well as Everton, Spurs and Manchester United are both said to be keen on landing the forward, who intends to remain focused on helping Fulham return to the top flight despite all the interest.

Dembele said: "I don't deceive. I give 100 per cent every time I wear the shirt. For the rest, my agents are dealing with it."


Read more at: https://www.clubcall.com/everton/youngster-linked-to-everton-1789839.html?

[WhiteJC]

 
Trotters On Sale

Tickets for the trip to Bolton Wanderers on Saturday 19th December (3pm) are now on General Sale (maximum four per person).

Seats for Fulham's final game before Christmas are priced £15 Adults and £5 for Over-65s, Under-23s and Under-18s.

There are 10 pairs of wheelchair disabled tickets available, priced as above, personal assistants go free. Ambulant disabled tickets are taken out of the main allocation and are available at the standard price, with personal assistants again going free.

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

Car parking facilities are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Priced at £7 per car, £12 per minibus and £20 per coach, the amount is payable on entry to the car park.


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2015/november/24/trotters-on-sale?

[WhiteJC]

 
Manchester United transfer news: Louis van Gaal targets January move for Fulham striker Moussa Dembele
The France U-20 international is also attracting interest from Bayern Munich after a string of fine performances

Manchester United are preparing to make a move for Fulham's 19-year-old striker Moussa Dembele, according to reports.

The France U-20 international, who joined the club from Paris Saint-Germain in 2012, has cemented his first team place this season with eight goals in 17 Championship appearances.

United are understood to prefer a January move for the highly-rated teenager, but are prepared to wait until the player's contract expires at the end of this season to secure his services, with Bayern Munich also rumoured to be interested.

Speaking to Get French Football News, Dembele described speculation linking him to a high-profile move as "funny and flattering", but insisted he is committed to securing promotion to the Premier League with Fulham.

Dembele was strongly linked with a move away from Craven Cottage this summer, with Everton among the club vying for his services.

At the time, he said: "I don't know (if staying at Fulham is the best thing for me). I will take my time to make the right choice. I feel very good at Fulham, I know everyone."


http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/transfers/manchester-united-transfer-news-louis-van-gaal-targets-january-move-for-fulham-striker-moussa-a6746561.html?

[WhiteJC]

 
Championship youngsters should be wary of Man Utd interest

The latest players to be added to the list of potential January transfer targets for Manchester United are Moussa Dembele of Fulham and Lewis Cook of Leeds United.

They join a growing contingent of candidates linked with igniting Man Utd's attacking options, but are more likely to be seen as stars of the future given their age.

Dembele, no relation to Tottenham's Mousa Dembele, is only 19, while Cook is an 18-year-old midfielder.

The weekend's results have seen Louis van Gaal's side move up to second place and he'll want to add all the quality he can to assure the 7/2 odds of a Premier League win land.

Moving to Old Trafford would be a dream move for many footballers, but it may not be the right decision for these Championship youngsters.

In recent years, players moving up from the Football League to the Premier League have found their options limited, with the Red Devils among the many clubs guilty of this.

Nick Powell and Wilfried Zaha both found their development stalled with a move to the red side of Manchester, with the latter needing to return to Crystal Palace to establish himself as a player in the top-tier.

Patrick Roberts could serve as a warning to both, with the Manchester City man moving to the Etihad from Dembele's current employers, Fulham, and being the same age as Cook.

The young attacking-midfielder was signed for a reported £12m this summer, but has only made three appearances since the move.

History has shown that youngsters need to play as much football as possible when developing at this age and the two Championship stars may not be afforded this luxury with United.

Dembele has truly benefitted from game time at Craven Cottage this season, scoring nine times in 19 appearances across all competitions and being the joint-third highest scorer in his league.

Meanwhile, Cook has impressed throughout his 15 games this season and a move to Old Trafford would limit the opportunities for both these promising players.


http://news.bwin.com/en/football-betting/premier-league/championship-youngsters-should-be-wary-of-man-utd-interest,92442.html

[WhiteJC]

 
Birmingham boss Gary Rowett emerges as favourite to fill Fulham vacancy

Gary Rowett has become the new front runner to become the next manager at Fulham, according to Sky Bet odds.

The Blues boss has emerged as the new favourite to become the new boss at Craven Cottage, after Kit Symons was sacked earlier this month.

Sky Bet have placed Gary Rowett at 8/11 odds (at the time of writing) for the job at Craven Cottage, who is on a five-man shortlist.

Fulham have been on a chase to find a new manager and have been linked with several managers.

Last week, Reading boss, Steve Clarke looked set to join club, but couldn't agree a deal with the West London side. Former Leicester boss, Nigel Pearson also had talks with the club, but felt the offer was not good enough.

Gary Rowett has enjoyed a successful campaign with the Blues this year, with the club currently occupying sixth spot in the Sky Bet Championship as it stands.


Read more at http://footballleagueworld.co.uk/birmingham-boss-gary-rowett-emerges-as-favourite-to-fill-fulham-vacancy/?#SzFJQyZAg1f9gitK.99

[WhiteJC]

 
Birmingham City boss Gary Rowett installed as hot new favourite for Fulham job

Birmingham City boss Gary Rowett has emerged as the new odds-on favourite to take charge of Fulham. The 41-year-old has today (Tuesday) replaced Nigel Pearson at the top of the Next Fulham Manager Market after Sky Bet cut his odds from 9/2 to just 8/11.

Since sacking Kit Symons Fulham have endured a fruitless search for a new manager. Last week the Cottagers appeared to be on the verge of luring Reading boss Steve Ckarke over to West London, however the 52-year-old decided to remain loyal to the Royals.

Fulham's reported pursuit of Rowett certainly echoes that of Clarke, and it will be interesting to see how this one pans out over the next few days. Rowett is one of the most talented young gaffers in the game, who is enjoying his time in the Midlands, with Birmingham currently sitting up in 6th; seven points off the summit.

Rowett, who previously managed Burton Albion, joined the Blues in October of last year and went on to lead the club out of the relegation zone and up into 10th. The momentum has overlapped into the current campaign, with Rowett's troops right in the mix in the top-6 after 17 matches.

Like Clarke, it's difficult to envision Rowett jumping ship to a Fulham side down in 12th; seven points adrift of Birmingham and the play-offs. With this in mind long-standing contender Nigel Pearson could be worth a punt at 9/2, while Alan Curbishley and Paul Tisdale can be backed at 10/1 and 20/1 respectively.


http://www.thesackrace.com/news/24th-november-2015/birmingham-city-boss-gary-rowett-installed-as-hot-new-favourite-for-fulham-job?

[WhiteJC]

 
Bury In Youth Cup

Fulham will play Bury in the FA Youth Cup Third Round.

The game will take place at Motspur Park on Monday 14th December (7pm).

Admission will be charged at £3 for adults and £1 for concessions. Unfortunately, due to FA Rules, Season Tickets will not be valid.

Having reached the Final of the FA Youth Cup in 2013/14, the Whites went out of the competition at the Third Round last season after a 2-1 defeat at Crewe Alexandra.


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2015/november/24/bury-in-youth-cup?

[WhiteJC]

 
THREE REASONS WHY MAN UTD IS BEST FOR FULHAM POACHING PRODIGY

Championship scoring sensation courted by Old Trafford outfit

Doggy-paddling through the maelstrom that is the race for a Championship play-off place, a scraggly-haired, spluttering Fulham may well be about to dunk below the waves for good.

Manchester United's reported interest in teenage striker Moussa Dembele, whose goals are enabling Fulham to maintain their peripheral position in second-tier top-six skirmish, is what has prompted this anticipation of their demise.

The 19-year-old has notched eight league goals this term, one fewer than the Cottagers' record buy Ross McCormack, alerting Louis van Gaal to his abilities.

Currently getting by on two line-leading frontmen, Man Utd will certainly have to add to their striker stocks if they are to remain competitive in the Premier League title race, which they're currently priced at 4/1 to win and a January move for Dembele has today been mooted in the Independent.

The Frenchman is also thought to be a target for Bayern Munich, who are looking to move for the player when his contract expires this summer, but the Old Trafford switch would be most beneficial to his development. Here's why...

Van Gaal has no reservations when it comes to fielding talented youngsters and boasts a fantastic record of moulding their talent.

Paddy McNair, Tyler Blackett, Jesse Lingard and James Wilson are among the academy players the Dutchman has granted runs in the United first team during his relatively short reign.

Similarly, he has overseen Chris Smalling's development into an elite centre-back, while left-back Luke Shaw was in the form of his career prior to his leg break.

Anthony Martial is another youngster flourishing at United.

Dembele's compatriot Martial shares a position with the Fulham forward and has shone at Old Trafford following his mega bucks move from Monaco.

Despite being used largely out wide, the France international has still mustered three goals in seven Premier League starts.

Striker switches between United and Fulham have seen both parties reap rewards.

Louis Saha traded Craven Cottage for the Theatre of Dreams midway through the 2003/04 campaign, going on to win two Premier League titles, a League Cup and a Champions League.

Dimitar Berbatov went the other way and, while he wasn't as successful in west London as he had been at previous clubs, the Bulgarian still found time to bag 15 in 33 Premier League appearances during his first campaign.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.


http://news.ladbrokes.com/football/premier-league/three-reasons-why-man-utd-is-best-for-fulham-poaching-prodigy.html?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham's Head Coach Merry-Go-Round

We find ourselves at the other end of the international break and with the MK Dons game behind us, it appears Mike Rigg, Shahid Khan and Co are no closer to appointing a permanent replacement for the outgoing Kit Symons.

If the information given by Rigg during a club interview immediately after the decision to remove the Welshman is anything to go by, then we were led to believe that the decision was made specifically with view to the window that an international break offers to make an appointment. Discussions appear to be ongoing with a number of candidates, although it seems that both Reading's Steve Clarke and Nigel Pearson, formerly of Leicester, are not keen on taking the hot-seat.

The current list of candidates from the bookmakers does not exactly make for inspiring reading. Just today, it appears Gary Rowett has been made the frontrunner, with the likes of Tisdale and Curbishley following behind. While I am by no means saying that I was completely happy with Symons at the helm, it goes to show that you should be careful what you wish for. My argument had always been that with Kit we had the opportunity to develop a better manager than we could attract. Yes there were many questionable decisions and he certainly had a lot to learn, but do you genuinely believe that any of the aforementioned candidates will be a long-term option for the club?

Factor in the speech from Rigg around finding a coach rather than a manager who fits in to the club's vision, and it is easy to see why perhaps the job is not as appealing as it would be should the right candidate be given free reign to build something with longevity. To even consider the likes of Brendan Rodgers & David Moyes as options would be a long shot for the club even if we were looking for a manager rather than a "head coach", but when the likes of Pearson and Clarke see it as untenable then you know the eventual appointment may be ever so much more underwhelming.

The fact is the combination of location, reputation, finances and a balanced young side should, in all seriousness, make Fulham at least a considered option for the likes of Rodgers to implement a philosophy early, alongside offering the club a managerial tenure that can go beyond simply achieving promotion. As much as I would like to think that the club may be open-minded in giving the right candidate more say and power than simply as a "Head Coach", in reality we all know which way this one is going to go. Worst case scenario we end up appointing someone who is, at best, one year ahead of Kit in their development, and best case scenario is appointing someone who despite achieving promotion to the Premier League, will be lacking in any ability to take the club further than battling against relegation only to result in yet another Managerial or "Head Coach" search commencing May/June 2017.

It is interesting that despite having been employed by the club for a while now in a rather unknown capacity, Alan Curbishley's long list of responsibilities clearly didn't extend to any sort of caretaker role for the MK Dons game, and as it stands he is the bookies' third favourite for the role... How very Fulham-ish.
COYW!


http://www.shoot.co.uk/fulhams-head-coach-merry-go-round/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Rowett Favourite for Fulham Job!
   
More than two weeks after the axing of Kit Symons, there`s still no white smoke coming out of the Craven Cottage chimney to suggest a new manager has been found.

Several potential candidates, during the last fortnight, have been mentioned but no appointment has been forthcoming.

Today the bookmakers have come forward and installed the current Birmingham City manager Gary Rowett as the new favourite for the vacant job.

However, when it comes to any substantiating evidence backing up the claim, we`re found wanting with the BBC West Midlands confirming that Birmingham City have received no official approach from Fulham Football Club to talk to their manager.

So still we wait!


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=423030#ixzz3sUEnYpPW

[WhiteJC]

 
Sam Johnstone to be loaned out by Manchester United with Fulham, Preston and Wolves interested
Johnstone was given the go-ahead on Tuesday, with the Championship trio among the clubs interested
He enjoyed a successful loan spell at Preston and kept a clean sheet in the play-off final as the club achieved promotion to the Championship
Johnstone has represented England at Under 16, 17, 19 and 20 levels

Manchester United goalkeeper Sam Johnstone has been told by manager Louis van Gaal that he can go out on loan.

Sportsmail understands that Johnstone was given the go-ahead on Tuesday, with Fulham, Wolves and Preston North End among the clubs interested.

With David de Gea wavering over a new deal at the start of the season, Johnstone looked a shoo-in to get some first-team appearances under his belt.

But Van Gaal opted to play Sergio Romero instead, and when De Gea put pen to paper on a long-term deal, Johnstone saw his chances disappear.

Van Gaal refused to let him leave for a Championship club, with Johnstone's agent Jordan Segal saying in August: 'Sam just wants to play football but Manchester United are holding him back and not even playing him.

'He is a young goalkeeper and it is time for him to play regularly. If that is not at Manchester United, then it has to be elsewhere. This is an example of young English talent being held back by Van Gaal.'

Johnstone penned a new three-year deal in January 2014 under former United boss David Moyes.

The goalkeeper — who represented England at Under 16, 17, 19 and 20 level — enjoyed a successful loan spell at Preston North End last season and kept a clean sheet in the play-off final as the club achieved promotion to the Championship.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3332819/Sam-Johnstone-loaned-Manchester-United-Fulham-Preston-Wolves-interested.html#ixzz3sUFOw2we
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