Wednesday Fulham Stuff (27/04/16)...

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Brentford Sold Out

Tickets for our trip to Brentford's Griffin Park on Saturday have now sold out.

That means there will be almost 1,700 Fulham supporters in the away end cheering on Slaviša Jokanović's boys as they look to maintain their unbeaten record in London derbies this season.

Many thanks as always for your fantastic support – COYW!!


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2016/april/26/brentford-sold-out?

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Craven Corner: Plenty of Fulham problems despite securing safety

Fulham will be playing Championship football next season but they is plenty to sort in the coming months as fan blogger Adam Brons-Smith explains.

After winning three on the spin, Fulham have only secured one point from their last three games, although Championship football has been secured for another year, there is still plenty of problems that need to be fixed.

After being thrashed 5-0 away to Brighton, Fulham's defensive fragility continues to be highlighted. Despite a strong display from Dan Burn and Shaun Hutchinson at Ipswich Town, losing 1-3 to Nottingham Forest indicated the importance of this summers expected overhaul of players.

Alongside Fulham's run of reports, the Italian media reported that Inter Milan owner, Erick Thohir was interested in buying the club and I was truly astonished to read some fans opinions on a potential takeover.

Whilst, the last few years haven't been successful, Fulham are fortunate to have financial powerhouse that is Shahid Khan bankrolling the club.

Despite relegation and changing managers, Khan has spent money in every window possible, providing the funds to mould a squad that best suits the philosophies and ideas of the manager.

Even during the recent transfer embargo, Khan still made sure the club were in a position to recruit some top quality players such as Michael Madl & Rohan Ince - 2 players that have been some of our top performers since joining.

Furthermore to his investment in coaching and playing staff, Khan continues to provide the best foundations for the future with building plans scheduled for Craven Cottage and training facilities.

With many clubs, struggling financially, Fulham are privileged to have the luxury to buy players if available and develop the facilities to the best they can be.

You only have to look at the other budgets in the league to see how lucky we are for the future.

Even though we have struggled for the past two seasons, we can still compete with the top clubs in this league in terms of player recruitment - which will only benefit the club.

The only problem we have faced is the quality of the managers that have been employed - but these are coaches that have been recommended by Mike Rigg and Ali McIntosh.

Now, we have Slavisa Jokanovic the club should be in better position for recruitment based on his reputation from his previous managerial roles - including promotion from the Championship with Watford.

In comparison, Thohir's wealth has never been well documented and during his reign at Inter Milan they have fallen from grace, no longer being the Champions League outfit they once were.

Although the past two years have been tough for Fulham, don't always think pulling the plug is the best option, look at the bigger picture and some times it takes a bad period to enjoy the good times and return to the top.

Fulham are going to rebuild the squad this summer, with the summer plans being key to Ross McCormack signing a new deal.

Slavisa has publicly stated that he wants the job long term and he is hoping to talk to the likes of Emerson Hyndman, Moussa Dembele, Marcus Bettinelli & Lasse Vigen Christensen about their long term future - with all four hopefully part of the revival of the club.

While it may be tough to keep them all out of the grasps of some of European elites, guaranteed first team football could be the key ingredient to their development right now.

Finally, there will be a lot of departures this summer, with the likes of Kostas Mitroglou joining Benfica for around €7m while other top earners will most likely return to Europe.

These departures should help balance some of the books, but Fulham will ensure they have a squad ready for play off push next season.



Read more at: http://www.london24.com/sport/football/clubs/fulham/craven_corner_plenty_of_fulham_problems_despite_securing_safety_1_4510395
Copyright © LONDON24

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Fulham boss Slavisa Jokanovic outlines plans for Brentford and Bolton matches

Whites gaffer in no mood to compromise over team selection even though the last rites play little


You go your way, I'll go mine: Slaviša Jokanovic and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink

Fulham might have secured Championship safety - albeit at the demise of MK Dons - but their head coach says there will be no experimenting in the last two dead rubbers of the season.

QPR gaffer Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink wants to have a look at what else he's got as he prepares for the next campaign, but Slavisa Jokanovic insists his strongest side will face Brentford on Saturday, and Bolton for the finale a week later.

Joka reckons he knows all he needs to know about the troops in front of him.

"I am here fourth months. I don't need to experiment," he said.

"It's probably in pre-season I'm going to try players in some different positions and other things. But we need winning habits, and we don't have that now, and we need to produce positive habits."

Fulham disappointingly crashed at home to Nottingham Forest on Saturday 3-1. But Bees did Whites a favour by thumping Dons in Bucks 4-1 to take Karl Robinson's side back to League One after a single season.

Charlton, and Fulham's last opponents Bolton suffer the other two drop spots.


http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/fulham-boss-slavisa-jokanovic-outlines-11242790?

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Fulham's Shaun Hutchinson - what's next for the defender?

Geordie defender in white has made only 10 appearances for his side this season - and after reappearing against Ipswich was left to kick his heels against Forest


Eyes on the prize: Shaun Hutchinson

Patience is the name of the game for Fulham central defender Shaun Hutchinson, according to his boss.

No sooner was the 25-year-old back in the team at Ipswich last week to carve out a 1-1 draw after the 4-0 pasting at Brighton - he was nowhere to be seen for the home defeat by Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

Hutchinson has made only 10 appearances in white for Fulham this season, with a litany of defenders preferred in an ever changing back four.

For all that, Slavisa Jokanovic paid tribute to the Geordie in the wings before Saturday's Forest fire.

He said: "Hutchinson is a professional, and he knows what football is all about and never complains.

"He has been waiting for his chance. He has been many times out of the team, and at this moment he now needs to be able to help us, and that's what he is doing."

Hutchinson signed on a two-year deal from Motherwell in the summer of 2014. The player now has to sweat on whether the club will pick up the option of an extra year on his contract.


http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/fulhams-shaun-hutchinson-whats-next-11243610?

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Championship striker set to snub Arsenal for European giants

Fulham striker Kostas Mitroglou has snubbed a move to Premier League club Arsenal for a permanent deal at Benfica, according to Goal.

The Greek signed for the Cottagers in a club record deal, believed at the time to be somewhere in the region of £11 million, back in January 2014 from Olympiacos, but made just three appearances for the club before going back to his former club on loan for the season.

He is also spending this season on loan at Benfica, where he has 18 goals in his 29 appearances, and the latest rumours are suggesting the Portuguese champions want to sign him permanently.

It is believed that he has verbally agreed to take a major pay cut to join the club, and that he does not want to join Arsenal, who have him on a list of strikers they may want to sign in the summer.

Fulham are also happy to let him move to Portugal full time, should they match his £5.4 million buy out clause.

The Cottagers have endured an incredibly poor season, with the club languishing in the bottom half of the table, only being saved by the goals of Moussa Dembele and Ross McCormack.


http://footballleagueworld.co.uk/championship-striker-set-to-snub-arsenal-for-european-giants/?

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England boss Roy Hodgson lends his support to Fulham fundraiser for George Cohen statue
Championship club have commissioned a statue of the former defender
Chairman Shahid Khan has pledged to pay for half the £200,000 cost
Hodgson took part in a Q&A with Pointless presenter Richard Osman

Roy Hodgson joined Fulham boss Slavisa Jokanovic and his playing squad at a special fundraiser for World Cup hero George Cohen.
The England boss took part in a special Q&A with Richard Osman, presenter of the BBC quiz show Pointless, on Tuesday night.
The Championship club have commissioned a statue of the former defender, who spent his entire career at Craven Cottage, playing 459 times for the club between 1956 and 1969.


England World Cup winner George Cohen (left) with Three Lions boss Roy Hodgson at the fundraiser


Scott Parker and Hodgson's No 2 Ray Lewington, a former Fulham player and coach, also enjoyed the evening

A right-back, Cohen won 37 caps for England and featured in every game as the Three Lions won the 1966 World Cup.

Chairman Shahid Khan has pledged to pay for half the £200,000 cost for the statue if fans raise the other £100,000.
Fans have so far raised more than £57,000 ahead of the May 9 deadline.

Cohen, aged 76, who is a club ambassador for Fulham, was awarded an MBE in the New Year's Honours in 2000.


Fulham boss Slavisa Jokanovic talks to Cohen at the fundraiser at Craven Cottage on Tuesday night

A supporter-led group proposed the statue to the Championship club earlier this year. The work will be carried out by sculptor Douglas Jennings.

'We're delighted that this honour is being paid to George, a true gentleman who has given so much to the supporters of Fulham, England and the world of football,' Bob Howes, who was chairman of the fan campaign group, told the club website.

Fulham already have a statue of former Fulham and England inside forward Johnny Haynes outside Craven Cottage, which was unveiled in 2008.


Hodgson took part in a special Q&A with Richard Osman, presenter of the BBC quiz show Pointless


Jamie O'Hara (left) and Cauley Woodrow (right) were among the Fulham players who attended the event


Championship club Fulham have commissioned a statue of the former defender


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3560554/England-boss-Roy-Hodgson-lends-support-Fulham-fundraiser-George-Cohen-statue.html#ixzz470e7dL4S
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New Deal Snubbed

As our season starts to peter out, with Fulham remaining in the Championship by the skin of their teeth, plans are afoot to ensure that next season doesn`t witness a repeat of this season.

However, whilst we expect several players to come into the squad, once our transfer embargo is lifted, there is a fair chance that we could lose several of the current squad.

Slavisa Jokanovic will have spent his time in charge deciding who e feels can support the chase for promotion next season and who, to put it bluntly, isn`t good enough.

However, there is a chance that some players will fall between the two categories, with one such player being Lasse Vigen Christensen being a prime example.

By our understanding, the Danish midfielder is out of contract soon and it is being reported by the Sun that the twenty-one year-old has been offered a new three year deal.

But it would appear that Christensen has other ideas as to where his future may lie and has snubbed the offer which has led to, according to our referenced source, the likes of Southampton, West Bromwich Albion and Aston Villa being alerted to his possible availability.

As they say, some you win and some you lose!


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=444566#ixzz470f2MrFo