Clay Bulstrode and Cadbra is

[Andy S]

When the church commissioners sold Craven Cottage to Ernie Clay in the 70's it saw the beginning of the worst period of our existence. Ernie Clay went on to sell the club to Marler Etates who would attempt to develop the ground in to a housing estate. Marler and their CEO Bulstrode didn't care about football and announce a merger between Fulham an QPR as Fulham park Rangers. Our fight for survival was on!

We lived hand to mouth for a good few years thanks to Jimmy Hill and the Muddeymen family until Mr Al Fayed came along wher we saw som of our best times. But what could have been if the church commissioners had retained ownership of the Cottage.

[RaySmith]

Shows how important being in the Prem is for Fulham - if we slipped down the leagues again, the vultures would start circling again, as they have recently at Millwall and Dulwich Hamlet.

We need a wealthy owner, investing in the club, and the club to a successful Prem team.

[bill taylors apprentice]

The problems started in the 70's with building the riverside stand at the wrong time, high inflation and falling attendance but it was 85 that Clay bought the ground.

In 1984 he signed a new 110 year lease with the Church Commissioners for a token rent of £2000 a year.

His intention was to buy the freehold at a low price as sitting tenants but because he didn't insist on a legally binding stipulation that football had to be played on the site the price increased.

He willingly paid more so he could sell or develop without FFC for a huge profit.

[Fernhurst]

As supporters we have a huge debt to The Muddyman's for propping up the club during its most testing times.
Speaking to Jimmy Hill at a golf event some years later he was quite bitter The Muddymans received all their money back (and some)when MAF took over, but no payout for him for all his hard work.

Does anyone know if the brothers are still alive?

[Fernhurst]

"We lived hand to mouth for a good few years thanks to Jimmy Hill and the Muddeymen family until Mr Al Fayed came along wher we saw som of our best times. But what could have been if the church commissioners had retained ownership of the Cottage".

Or if Trinder was far sighted enough to buy the timber yard next door in the fifties.

[SG]

As supporters we have a huge debt to The Muddyman's for propping up the club during its most testing times.
Speaking to Jimmy Hill at a golf event some years later he was quite bitter The Muddymans received all their money back (and some)when MAF took over, but no payout for him for all his hard work.

Does anyone know if the brothers are still alive?

It was father and son - Bill and Andy. I agree with you that without their funds we would have been screwed but Jimmy and Tom Wilson also deserve immense recognition for saving the club in its hour of need

[Fernhurst]

Or if Trinder was far sighted enough to buy the timber yard next door in the fifties.

Or if my old man had bought our little house in Fernhurst Road, I would be a double millionaire now!! 

If if and and's were pots and pans

Got 3 smashing healthy kids who have their own children and my team has just got promoted, money is not all

[nose returns]

The problems started in the 70's with building the riverside stand at the wrong time, high inflation and falling attendance but it was 85 that Clay bought the ground.

In 1984 he signed a new 110 year lease with the Church Commissioners for a token rent of £2000 a year.

His intention was to buy the freehold at a low price as sitting tenants but because he didn't insist on a legally binding stipulation that football had to be played on the site the price increased.

He willingly paid more so he could sell or develop without FFC for a huge profit.

What you isn't mentioned here seems to be mr miller. He  was the chairman that built the riverside stand but he used his public company, Peachey if meory serves, as if it were a private one and was caught using funds inappropriately. such as george best and others living rent free in miller's company flats (and clearly other more significant stuff). It led to miller commiotting suicide and that started a very slippery slope downhill for us as has been described. I think the question I always ask is, If he would have been more honest what might have happened? he loved the club, seemed willing to invest and I thought we may have been finally going somewhere. However, the issue of the ownership of the ground was always an issue.

[filham]

How we survived all of that is amazing, as has already been said we owe Jimmy Hill a big thank you.

[nose returns]

How we survived all of that is amazing, as has already been said we owe Jimmy Hill a big thank you.

we really do

[bill taylors apprentice]

While a lot of other clubs went through trials and tribulations in those days we certainly had a lot to deal with but once we were in trouble there were also moments along the way that you could describe as fortuitous if not plain lucky.

E.g. The Tory council rejecting Clays plan to build flats on two sides of the ground (albeit clearing our debts) Next Labour winning control of the council and the decision to preserve the boroughs three grounds.
In short no ground sharing.

Hill's change of mind in accepting the developers (now Cabra) take it or leave it offer of cash to leave the cottage in 3 years just before the public inquiry may have been the end of the club as we know it.
The council, who had been preparing a compulsory purchase were horrified as were many others but the millions from Cabra allowed FFC to continue running.

There's  lot more to it but finally who could have guessed back then that Cabra would go into liquidation leaving FFC to keep the money and negotiate a new lease with chief creditor RBS.

[bog]

Or if Trinder was far sighted enough to buy the timber yard next door in the fifties.

Or if my old man had bought our little house in Fernhurst Road, I would be a double millionaire now!! 

If if and and's were pots and pans

Got 3 smashing healthy kids who have their own children and my team has just got promoted, money is not all

I did wonder if your name was after Fernhurst Road Fernhurst. I noticed that road after the Derby game. Mine would be Coomber if named after my Dad's one, he was born in in 1910.


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[hovewhite]

Think I would love to read an autobiography of Fulham up to this season.
That would be a he'll of a read!!

[bill taylors apprentice]

Think I would love to read an autobiography of Fulham up to this season.
That would be a he'll of a read!!

Apart from the books on Fulham FC's history by Alex White & Dennis Turner the book 'Football grounds of Britain' by Simon Inglis also goes into the history of the clubs.
The section on Fulham is larger than many so called bigger clubs and goes into some detail about the days we are talking about.

It also covers such things as why the offer from the Mears family to move into the new SB ground was rejected and how the actions of member of the board Henry Norris changed London football forever.

[Fernhurst]

Just discussing Clay brings back those awful feelings surrounding that era.
Remember it was a Tuesday I first heard the expression Fulham Park Rangers.
Still feel queasy thinking about it. The dread was just awful, the Gods were with us as we gradually extracted ourselves from a quite horrible fate.
It's only football but I was not surprised when there was such an explosion of joy from The Old Sods Army at the final whistle of our most important game of the season.

[nose returns]

Just discussing Clay brings back those awful feelings surrounding that era.
Remember it was a Tuesday I first heard the expression Fulham Park Rangers.
Still feel queasy thinking about it. The dread was just awful, the Gods were with us as we gradually extracted ourselves from a quite horrible fate.
It's only football but I was not surprised when there was such an explosion of joy from The Old Sods Army at the final whistle of our most important game of the season.

there was an odd thing with ernie clay
we beat wimbledon away and clay and me ended up walking on the staircase out of the ground at the end. I said to him how well we were doing, or something like that, and he put his arm round me and praised the team with a genuinel fatherly love. you would never have thought it would turn out as it did from that encounter. clearly in the begining he loved fulham and wanted success, but something changed.

[fulham traveller]

I remember meeting clay and his son special one geoffrey, all Ernie said to me was rugby league

[grandad]

In the late 80´s when the Club faced extinction supporters were invited to subscribe to a fund to save the Club. I sent £100 but to this day don´t know where it went.

[ken 44]

I sent a letter to Ernie Clay saying was its his intention to sell our best players and there by the club for profit. I received a telephone call from his son Godfrey who was on the line for over half an hour trying to convince me of
there good intentions and I have to say he sounded genuine and that is why the conversation lasted so long because
I pointed out to him actions speak louder than words. I also have a certificate signed by Gordon (Ivor) Davies for my
donation of £100 to the save Fulham FC campaign.  Ken.H