News:

Use a VPN to stream games Safely and Securely 🔒
A Virtual Private Network can also allow you to
watch games Not being broadcast in the UK For
more Information and how to Sign Up go to
https://go.nordvpn.net/SH4FE

Main Menu


Sunday Fulham Stuff - 15/03/20...

Started by WhiteJC, March 15, 2020, 07:24:12 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

WhiteJC

Tottenham reportedly wanted Aleksandar Mitrovic a year ago and Jose Mourinho should rekindle interest


Tottenham have been linked with a move for the Serbian international in the past.

Tottenham's need for another striker has been ignored in the transfer market by the club for some time now. The cost of that decision has been made painfully clear in recent weeks with both Harry Kane and Heung-min Son out injured.

Tottenham lack options in attack and the result has been the likes of Lucas Moura, Steven Bergwijn and Dele Alli being square pegs shoved into round holes.

But one year ago, it was reported by the Daily Mail that Mauricio Pochettino had a player in mind to solve the problem. The player in question was Fulham striker Aleksander Mitrovic.

Mitrovic had impressed for the Cottagers despite their relegation campaign in the Premier League. It left many clubs looking at his potential signing. As reported by the Evening Standard later in the year, Fulham eventually valued the Serbian at £30 million.

The London side did not want to sell Mitrovic, knowing he might provide the firepower to see Fulham earn an immediate promotion back to the top-flight.

They weren't wrong. Mitrovic has scored 23 goals in 34 Championship games this season, with Fulham third and battling for promotion. At the time of the current football suspension due to the spread of COVID-19, the Serbian is the league's top-scorer.

Tottenham should undoubtedly be considering Mitrovic yet again. If Fulham fail to win promotion, there is no doubt the 25-year-old will have to consider his options.

Mourinho would undoubtedly love the deal as well. He has been a fan of Mitrovic since he was a teenager. Back in 2013, the Portuguese manager watched Mitrovic score his first senior international goal as Serbia drew 1-1 with rivals Croatia. Speaking to Het Nieuwsblad after the game he praised Anderlecht, who had recently snapped up Mitrovic from Partizan Belgrade, for signing a potential 'top European striker'.

    "Mitrovic was the best player on the field.

    "He managed to keep the ball well and that was key. That boy has everything to become a top European striker and I think Anderlecht did a very good thing to get him."


Why wouldn't Mourinho love him? He is exactly the Tottenham manager's style of striker. Strong, bullish, a leader and lethal in front of goal – he shares attributes with the likes of Didier Drogba, Diego Milito, and Diego Costa, all of whom thrived under Mourinho.

Mourinho likes him, he's already based in London and Tottenham have shown interest before. Mitrovic looks like a potentially perfect summer recruit.



https://tbrfootball.com/tottenham-reportedly-wanted-aleksandar-mitrovic-a-year-ago-and-jose-mourinho-should-rekindle-interest/

WhiteJC

Aleksandar Mitrovic has his say on Fulham's season ambitions


Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic says promotion remains the main "target" for the west London club.

The Serbian has been the Cottagers' best player this term, finding the net 23 times in the Championship, putting him top of the goalscoring charts.

He has played 34 of Fulham's 37 league games this term, and has establised himself as a key player for the team.

Speaking to the Metro, Mitrovic revealed that the squad are focused on trying to achieve promotion with nine games of the season remaining.

"Of course, this is our target. We signed good players to push for automatic promotion and we are almost there [the top two]. It's going to be tough but we will do our best," he said.

Fulham currently sit in 3rd place in the league table, six points off West Bromwich Albion in the final automatic promotion spot.

After the side's relegation from the Premier League last season, it was expected Fulham would bounce back at the first time of asking, but that has proved to be more difficult than imagined this term.

Inconsistency at times has cost the Cottagers' valuable points. The most recent example of that was a disappointing 3-0 defeat to Barnsley at Craven Cottage in mid-February.

Mitrovic added that it bottom sides giving those at the top a run for their money shows the strength of the division.

"Just like you fight for promotion, they fight to stay up — they will not give you easy points. Yes, we've dropped points but so has everyone else," he said.

"There are so many games in the Championship, you get tired. You have good days, there can be a bad day."

The Verdict

Fulham fans will be more motivated than ever to see the team achieve success this season, as it could also be the difference between key players like Mitrovic staying on at the club.

Although he recently signed a new five-year contract last summer, the Serbian may not be willing to play another season in the second tier.

According to WhoScored, the Serbian has contributed directly towards 44% of Fulham's goals this term.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/aleksandar-mitrovic-has-his-say-on-fulhams-season-ambitions/

WhiteJC

Expanded Premier League with no relegation and only two promoted is 'possible option' - even if unjust for Nottingham Forest and Fulham

Stoke City news - Clubs and leagues are in negotiations about what should happen next as football tries to handle coronavirus outbreak


Brighton chief executive Paul Barber has been discussing possible options for the resumption of football.

An unprecedented situation may need a radical solution, says Brighton and Hove Albion chief executive Paul Barber as he discusses the options for how football can return after the coronavirus.

Barber admits it is 'difficult to imagine' at the moment that play will resume early next month, with all fixtures currently suspended until at least April 3 to try to contain or delay the spread of coronavirus.

And that has led to speculation and discussion about what should happen if matches cannot be re-scheduled in a timely period, particularly before June 30 and the administrative end to the 2019/20 season.

One of the options suggested is to freeze the tables where they now stand, with Liverpool crowned Premier League champions.

But Barber says a possible option after doing that is to expand the top flight for 2020/21 so that no teams suffer the financial consequences of being relegated, while accepting Leeds United and West Bromwich Albion into the division as the current Championship top two.

That would be followed by four being relegated the following season and only two going up again to bring the division back to 20 teams.

What happens at the bottom end of the Championship, where Stoke City have risen to 17th under Michael O'Neill but are only three points outside the relegation zone, is also up for debate.

Barber said on BBC's Football Focus: "If we were to freeze the league it would be incredibly unjust not to award Liverpool the title. I think everyone in the game appreciates what a fantastic season they've had and what a wonderful team they are.

"So that for me would be very unjust – but equally it would be very unjust for teams to be relegated when there were still eight, nine or 10 games to play in the Premier League. The financial consequences for those teams would be very difficult.

"Equally it would be unjust if Leeds and West Brom were not promoted because we know how hard it is to get out of the Championship. We know how hard it is to get even to this stage of the season in the top two. It would be very cruel."

He added: "(An expanded Premier League) is a possible option, to leave the 20 teams in the Premier League as it is, would help us and help others and the top two of the Championship would give us a larger league next season and perhaps four relegation places next season then two up again the next season to get us back to 20... It has some merit.

"Clearly there would be details and a number of issues to work out, including qualification for European places – but we are in unprecedented times. We may have to have unprecedented solutions."

It would be very cruel, too, and an equal financial miss for other clubs who have been in contention to win promotion to the Premier League.

Fulham, Brentford, Nottingham Forest and Preston North End currently occupy the play-off places while Bristol City, Millwall, Cardiff City, Blackburn Rovers, Swansea, Derby and Queens Park Rangers are still within six points of the top six with nine games to play.

But Barber said: "If I was in that position I would really feel for them. But we are all in a situation where, with seven, eight or nine games to go, we could all end up in a better place than we are. If we can't complete the season, we have to look at quite radical solutions to get over the short-term 'hump' as it is.

"We could find ourselves delaying the season but then we would impact another season if we were to delay for too long, so there's a whole range of different issues.

"Players' contracts come into it too because most of those expire in one form or another on June 30, or that would be the natural break for most contracts. If we extend the season into July or further what would be the implications? Would we have the same squads? Different squads? Would players be able to move between teams at that time?

"There are so many implications of delaying the season beyond a certain point. It may get to a point where we have to be pragmatic, we have to be sensible – we have to ask everyone for understanding and co-operation.

"The most important thing in all of this is that we put health first. Not just players and coaches and spectators but also the staff at the club and also realise we are relying on emergency services to attend stadiums behind closed doors when they could be needed elsewhere in the community."



https://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/stoke-city-promotion-relegation-coronavirus-3950720


WhiteJC

Gary Lineker Cheers On Child Refugees at Craven Cottage

Joining training session and pledging to continue to support young people fleeing war zones



Match of the Day presenter Gary Lineker has visited Fulham Football Club to cheer on child refugees living in the borough who were taking part in a training session at Craven Cottage.

Gary was asked to lend his support by H&F Council and Lord Alf Dubs, a Hammersmith resident and passionate campaigner for the rights of unaccompanied children fleeing war zones.

The event on Thursday 5 March was organised by Fulham FC Foundation, with the assistance of refugee charity Safe Passage and Chelsea FC Foundation.

Gary told journalists that he would continue to stand up for the rights of refugees, despite previous criticism.

He said he decided to speak out after watching footage of "young children and families fleeing their country bombarded by missiles, facing dreadful harrowing journeys".

" Some people say they shouldn't come here. But we are better than that. Refugees are a humanitarian issue not a political one. We have to play our part. Every country in the world has to do their bit. And that includes us," Gary said.

Lord Dubs, pictured above with Gary and H&F Council Leader, Cllr Stephen Cowan, said: "When traumatised refugee children finally reach safety here they just want to be able to live normal lives, have fun, integrate and build productive futures. Football is such an important tool – it helps kids grow their confidence and skills and helps them heal.

"The work of Hammersmith & Fulham Council and charities and foundations like the Fulham FC Foundation, the Chelsea FC Foundation and Safe Passage is enormously valuable and I'm so grateful for the help and support they have offered refugee children, and to Gary Lineker for being a powerful advocate on their behalf.

Cllr Stephen Cowan - who has accompanied Lord Dubs to refugee camps in Greece and France - said: " We are truly grateful to Gary for sparing the time to meet and show his support for our young refugees. Having footballing legend Gary Lineker support the football training sessions we have put in place, and Fulham Football Club offer their home ground for this special event, made this an evening these children will never forget."

Europe and the Middle East are currently experiencing the worst refugee crisis since the Second World War.

Cllr Cowan and Alf Dubs have visited refugee camps together in Calais and Greece to see first-hand the conditions refugees are surviving in. Supported by refugee charity Safe Passage, they visited the Moria camp in Lesbos which currently houses over 20,000 people, including lone children, in a facility built for 3,000.

It is estimated that there are 2,000 unaccompanied refugee children currently living on the Aegean islands, many of them living rough.

On a visit to Calais together last year they found unaccompanied refugee children living in woodland and even on rubbish tips. H&F is home to 107 unaccompanied refugee children: 26 of whom are "Dubs children" – refugee children who have arrived in Europe with no family.

Mike McSweeney, CEO from the Fulham FC Foundation said: "We know settling in a new country can be extremely difficult for a young refugee. Through providing a regular football activity, we can improve a young person's physical and mental wellbeing, their social connections, support network and self-esteem."





http://www.fulhamsw6.com/default.asp?section=info&page=fulhamfc2003.htm

WhiteJC

Head Coach press conference

Scott Parker has got his Fulham players ready for what promises to be a difficult encounter with Brentford on Friday.

The Bees claimed the bragging rights at Griffin Park earlier in the season, and Parker acknowledged the job Thomas Frank has done there.

"It's a massive game for us, a London derby against a team that's just behind us in the table, a team who when we played them earlier in the season put in a very good performance against us," Parker said.

"I felt that day we were a little bit off it, but I think they were well worthy of the three points. They've done very well this year, so there's a big task ahead of us. There's always challenges ahead, and Friday will be that certainly."


As the joint top scorers in the division, Brentford have understandably won plaudits for their attacking play, primarily their forwards Ollie Watkins, Bryan Mbeumo and Said Benrahma, who have plundered 46 goals between them.

"A very good front three," Parker admitted. "They're right up there in this division. They're powerful boys who have scored a lot of goals between them.

"We realise the dangers they possess in that front line. I think all over the pitch they're a very good side. But as always we'll have prepared as well as we can.

"We've come out of the back of some very good form of late and we're in a good place, so I suspect we'll go out there and put in a really good performance to try and take the points."

The headlines this week have been dominated by speculation regarding how football might be affected by the Coronavirus.

Playing matches behind closed doors has been mooted as one option, but Parker would rather the fans did not miss out on supporting their team.

"I'd rather not play without a crowd," he said. "I think anyone sitting in my position, as a football manager or football player, would either want a crowd, or not play and play another time.

"Obviously it's not the same in terms of the atmosphere and what makes our game so good. As a player, having a crowd behind you, especially a home crowd, is always good.

"As a football manager, and even if I was in the players' shoes, I want to be running out with thousands of our home fans supporting us, rather than none.

"But I'm not qualified to speak about it, the people who are skilled in that department will decide.

"It's easy for me to sit here and say let's postpone it and that I'd rather play with a crowd in two weeks' time, but the dynamics of the division, the Euros, next season, there's loads [of factors]."



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2020/march/12/head-coach-press conference

WhiteJC

Fulham 'buy a slice of the Thames' for £5m! New stand to sit on an extended river wall and take Craven Cottage to nearly 30,000 capacity

    Fulham are in the middle of expanding the Riverside Stand in an £80m deal
    That will increase Craven Cottage stadium's capacity from 25,700 to 29,600
    Shahid Khan agreed to pay the millions towards rebuilding the river wall
    The stadium expansion work is expected to be completed in the summer of 2021

Fulham owner Shahid Khan splashed out an estimated £5million to buy a slice of the River Thames, to complete the expansion of Craven Cottage.

The club are in the middle of expanding the Riverside Stand in a £80m development that will increase the stadium's capacity from 25,700 to 29,600.

It has been revealed Khan has paid for a licence allowing the club to move the previous river wall up to nine metres further into the Thames, in order to complete the larger stand.


Fulham are in the middle of an £80m development that will expand Craven Cottage to 30,000


Fulham owner Shahid Khan splashed out £5m to buy a slice of the River Thames for new stand


Sources close to the deal said Khan agreed to pay the millions towards rebuilding the river wall and to secure the licence.

A source said: 'The total costs includes the repair work, plus a 125-year licence with the Port of London Authority, worth tens of thousands of pounds a year.'

PLA spokesman Martin Garside said: 'The PLA is required to charge a 'consideration' for such developments. Fulham FC will pay an annual fee as part of the agreement to extend the river wall into the Thames.


Championship side Fulham are making big renovations to the ground they've had since 1896


New stand will sit on an extended river wall after Khan paid for a licence to move previous wall


'The new development changes the old configuration of the river embankment in front of the stadium, by extending further out into the river bed. The stadium design means the Thames Path — a public river walkway — will pass through the stadium concourse on non-match days. The old stadium did not provide for a public footpath along the river.'

The licensing process falls under legislation called the Port of London Act 1968. It covers the potential effects on safe navigation, river traffic and the environment of all structures in, on or over the Thames.

The Craven Cottage expansion work is expected to be completed in summer 2021 and includes a multi-level stand, corporate hospitality and event spaces.



https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-8112781/New-Fulham-stand-sit-extended-river-wall-Craven-Cottage-nearly-30-000-capacity.html