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Wednesday Fulham Stuff - 08/04/20...

Started by WhiteJC, April 08, 2020, 07:58:15 AM

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WhiteJC

Collins John: How I went from taking PL by storm at 18 to retiring at 29


Collins John was just 18 when he turned up to training for FC Twente and was informed by his agent of concrete interest from two Premier League clubs – Fulham and Manchester City.

Although John was in good form, with nine goals in 18 games, including a hat-trick in a 5-3 win over Groningen, the thought of leaving Twente hadn't crossed his mind. He was focused on playing well for his first club, who he had joined at the age of 12, and continuing his development in familiar surroundings.

But, to John's surprise, Twente seemed open to the idea of selling him.

"Before I knew it, I had a phone call from Cookie, from Chris Coleman," John recalls. "He called me and I had a good conversation with him. From that moment really, I was like, wow, it's real. It's coming close."

Fulham instantly made John feel wanted. The club's Dutch goalkeeper, Edwin van der Sar, phoned the young striker to encourage him to join, explaining that he would be there to provide support and some home comforts if John was ever missing life in the Netherlands. In contrast, nobody from Manchester City ever got in touch.

Late interest from John's boyhood club PSV Eindhoven caused him to delay his decision, but they wanted to wait until the summer to complete the deal. Now that the wheels were in motion, he was keen to get going. So on January 31, 2004, he signed for Fulham.

"I was like a little boy in a candy shop. It was amazing. Everything was new and exciting. It was my dream because I loved the Premier League. I was watching Match of the Day every Sunday morning. All the legends – Alan Shearer, Dennis Bergkamp, Zola, Hasselbaink.

"It was a dream come true. Everything was positive and everything was nice so I couldn't wait to put the pen on the paper."

Still, it wasn't easy to leave behind home and family. After losing his father in the first Liberian civil war, John, his mother and brothers, both of whom also went on to play professional football, had boarded a boat heading for the Netherlands.

Partly because of all that they had been through together, moving away felt especially tough.

"Even though I was living by myself in Holland – I had my own apartment – mum was still close by. It was like a 20-minute drive, so I was always there anyway.

"Before I packed my stuff and everything, I went to see my mum. It was an emotional day to say goodbye to her because I was mummy's little boy. There were a lot of tears, but that made me stronger. It made me want to succeed even more."

Hitting the ground running
The intention was to slowly ease John into the team while Fulham's more experienced strikers – Brian McBride, Barry Hayles and Facundo Sava – continued to do the heavy lifting, but that plan soon changed. The new signing's quick start couldn't be ignored.

Brought off the bench for just his second appearance, away at Leicester City, he transformed a goalless game. Steed Malbranque lifted a ball over the top of the Foxes' defence and John raced onto it, beating the offside trap and calmly lobbing Ian Walker for his first Fulham goal. He had only been on the pitch for six minutes.

Shortly before full-time, John added a second. As Leicester pushed for an equaliser, they were left exposed at the back. Luis Boa Morte carried the ball into the area before squaring for John to score from close range.

Rewarded for his contribution by being called into the starting line-up for the visit of Blackburn Rovers two day later, John grabbed another brace. He had decisively banished any doubts about his ability to compete at the highest level.

"In your head, you think, 'Can I even make it to the Premier League? Am I good enough?' You've got to ask yourself questions. 'Am I going to score goals here as well? What's the league like? What's the training like? Is the change of culture going to hold back my development?' A lot of things go through your head, but I was happy.

"My confidence was so high. I didn't wait too long to hit my first goal in the Premier League, so that was a big relief for me. That's what I needed to make sure I was ready for the full season ahead of me."

International recognition
John was given an extra boost by a call-up to the senior Netherlands squad in August, just seven months after joining Fulham. It was an unexpected joy for someone so young. Another opportunity to be seized.

"If you play well, that means you're ready for anything. At that time, I was ready. I proved it. It's not like it was a gift. You have to prove it. You have to show that you're good enough. Obviously, I scored goals in the best competition in the world so (Marco) van Basten chose to pick me. It was fully deserved, and it was amazing.

"I could never have thought that he would pick me. I was not even thinking about that. I thought I was going to go to the Under-21s. For him to call me up for the full squad was a total surprise, but it was one I will never forget."

Fleeting appearances in two friendlies, against Sweden and Liechtenstein, proved to be the extent of John's international career, but he considers it to have been a great honour all the same. Just training alongside world-class players was an eye-opening experience.

"Arjen Robben is one of the best players I ever played with, he was unbelievable," John says. "When we did finishing, Roy Makaay and Ruud van Nistelrooy were just a different world. They hit the target every time they shoot on goal.

"For me to learn off those type of guys is just a real privilege. I can tell my kids about it when they're older."

Career high
Back at Fulham, having overcome the initial difficulties of moving abroad and coping with increased expectations, the 2005-06 season was his best.

Despite starting just 16 league games, with Coleman often preferring to play one up front and feeling that John worked better in a pair, he was still the club's top scorer with 11 goals.

"I just couldn't stop scoring that season. I always said, 'Can you imagine if I started more games?' Maybe I would hit more goals as well.

"As a striker, when you start scoring, you just get that confidence and everything you do goes in the back of the net. That was one of those seasons. That was the best period of my career, definitely."

The reassuring presence of Chris Coleman was a major factor in John's success. The belief of his manager spurred him on and made a massive difference

"He was great. His man-management was spot on. I can't say any bad words about him. He was obviously the reason why I came to the club in the first place.

"I remember the first training session I had, they told me everything about how they scouted me. They first saw me play when I was 15, can you imagine?

"He could make you feel that you were 10 feet tall. That was the feeling he always gave to his players. He really gave you a boost before you went out on that pitch. You just felt you could beat anybody. It was excellent."

Life after Fulham
Unfortunately for John, Coleman was sacked towards the end of the following season and replaced by Lawrie Sanchez. The new manager explained that he wanted to bring in his own players and the Dutch striker was unlikely to feature. Although he respected the decision, it proved a tough one to recover from.

"Of course, it's disappointing, but that's football," John says. "It happens anywhere. Even though I love football to death, it's also one of those sports where you have to be mentally strong to deal with the consequences.

"That's the nature of the game. It's not personal. Just take it as a professional, and that's what I did.

John went on loan to Leicester City, Watford and then NEC Nijmegen before leaving Fulham permanently in the summer of 2009.

He admits that his career thereafter didn't live up to its early promise. There were spells in Belgium, America, Azerbaijan, Iran and Poland, but he was unable to settle anywhere and perform at his best. It became a tale of diminishing returns.

"I just couldn't get through my injuries and couldn't hit the right form at the right time," John says. "Football is about hitting the right form at the right time.

"When you do well and score a couple of important goals then your career might change overnight. If that doesn't happen, it might be a long, long career.

"I made some bad decisions after that, and that didn't work out well, but going to MLS was a great choice. One of the reasons was Brian McBride. He went back to Chicago and he called me up one day and said, 'Come to MLS and we can play together again.'"

While the training facilities and levels of professionalism at Chicago Fire were impressive, that wasn't the case with many of John's subsequent clubs. Sometimes there were broken promises or delayed payments, causing him to prematurely move on once more.

He retired in 2014, at the age of 29.

"Obviously, football is my life, but I couldn't play the way I wanted to play – physical, quick and powerful," he says. "I lost that pace. I lost that desire to grind away at practice and training every day. When that appetite left me, I thought it was the right time to stop.

"Life is life. You make choices. You learn from your mistakes and you try to move on. Everything happens for a reason. That's the way I see life. Of course, I wish things could have gone differently. But regrets? No way."

John now has the freedom to spend more time with his family, especially his six-year-old daughter, and enjoy his hobbies. He still takes a keen interest in Fulham and was pleased to be invited back to Craven Cottage last season.

Although he lives in Almere, on the outskirts of Amsterdam, his attachment to London, and the club that helped him to realise his dreams, remains strong.



https://www.planetfootball.com/in-depth/collins-john-fulham-premier-league-retirement/

WhiteJC

Leijer exclusive: My relationship with Man Utd defender Smalling at Fulham


This tale begins at Craven Cottage back in 2007 when a young and promising Adrian Leijer had made his way across the world to follow his dream to play in the English Premier League. Leijer, 21 years old, joined Fulham on a propitious move from Melbourne Victory.

Off the back of winning the A-League Young Player of the Year award and winning the A-League Championship, things were heading in the right direction for the defender.

In his first year at the club, Leijer strove hard to make it into the first team. Speaking with Tribal Football, Leijer reflects: "I was one of the youngest guys in the squad, so you get pushed pretty hard.

"You play a game in the reserves the night before and then you're back on the pitch the next day training because you've got to help the first team get up for the weekend."

Despite not breaking through into the first-team in his first season at the club, Leijer had represented Australia during that period and continued to battle it out.

This is when the plot develops as during the next transfer window, a young 18 year-old English centre-back walked through the doors at Motspur Park, signed from lower-league side Maidstone United. His name: Chris Smalling.

"He came in from the lower leagues and I sort of took him under my wing because we played in the same position, we played next to each other there and I really tried to look after him and I got on really well with him."

An unlikely mateship was born between the two men, one from Dubbo, New South Wales and the other Greenwich, London. This distance might have spanned over 16,000 kilometers, but the two went about lining up next to each other in the trenches each week, with the task of keeping the goals out for Fulham reserves.

Despite their early friendship, things started to go adrift for the Australian who only managed to be included in the squad once, while Smalling took Leijer's number 37 when the latter went off to a loan-spell at Norwich City.

"(I) probably looked after him too well because he sort of went past me and the rest is history," said Leijer.

Following that 2008/09 season, the two were split up as Leijer returned to Australia to rejoin Melbourne Victory. He went on to captain his side for many seasons back home, before making the move to Asia where he played in both China and South Korea, and then returned home where he now plies his trade at Dandenong City.

Smalling, on the other hand, pushed his way into the first team at Fulham before making the big move to Manchester United. He went on to captain the Red Devils, won 2 Premier League titles, a Europa League title and represented his country 31 times. Smalling is now playing in Italy on a loan move from United.

All these years later, Leijer contemplates:

"He's a really really good guy, he's a really smart guy...He's done really well for himself. Every time I watch Man United play or now Roma play, I look out for him because you feel like you played a small part when he was a nobody and I suppose you take a bit of satisfaction from that as well."

This story may not have been a perfect fairytale for Leijer, who's time at Fulham did not hit the same heights as his mentee, but their companionship highlights the broader value of his time in England and the significance of giving every person support and guidance, as you never know how things might turn out.



https://www.tribalfootball.com/articles/leijer-exclusive-my-relationship-with-man-utd-defender-smalling-at-fulham-4321632?utm_source%3Dnewsnow%26utm_medium%3Drss-feed%26utm_campaign%3DFeed-Latest%2BArticles#popup-sso

WhiteJC

Three Fulham academy stars to watch

Cody Drameh
The energetic full back has heavily impressed at both U23 and U18 level this season. Cody played a crucial part in the U18 journey in the FA Youth Cup, creating several goals for his teammates and scoring one himself, whilst also maintaining his defensive duties to a great standard. Having trained with the first team all season long, it is a surprise to me that Cody has yet to make a senior appearance.

He is the first choice right-back for the U23, pushing Marlon Fossey, who's just come back from a long term injury, to left back. On occasions the pair have alternated but with the ability and work rate which Cody possesses, it would be hard for anyone to take his place on a team sheet.

Drameh has featured for England U18's on a few occasions and whilst it's clear to see that he is winning all the plaudits for his excellent performances, the stats are also in his favour; he has 7 assists in 17 games for the PL2 side which is incredible for any full back at any level. His goal contribution of 26% shows that Cody is clearly excelling at youth level and I believe he should be tested at senior level and under the guidance of Scott Parker and Stuart Gray, we could have a real player on our hands.

Fabio Carvalho
The promising starlet is an England U18 international, playing at a higher international level than former teammate Harvey Elliott, he is a footballer who would heavily appeal to a statistician as the attacking midfielder has 15 goal contributions in 21 league youth appearances. Having made U18 football look too easy for him, Carvalho was quickly promoted to the PL2 squad where he has been the star performer all season.

Carvalho's contract is up in the summer of 2021 and the club will surely offer him a new deal to keep the bigger clubs out of interest from snapping up arguably the most promising player in the academy.

Having seen teammates Jay Stansfield and Sylvester Jasper both make the transition from youth to first team football, Fabio has every right to feel hard done by that he hasn't replicated the successes of his colleagues. Once described as one of the '20 talents to watch in England' by The Guardian, Carvalho will almost definitely be a part of Scott Parker's pre-season plans.

Martell Taylor-Crossdale
The dominant striker has scored twice in two appearances for the England Under 20 side and his poaching ability within the box is like no other. His scoring instincts meant that Fulham had to compete with several clubs abroad to secure his services. Unlike Cody and Fabio, Martell has featured for Fulham, appearing in the Carabao Cup defeat to Southampton earlier on in the season.
Martell, who we signed from Chelsea in the summer has scored a goal every three games for an under-performing PL2 team, and his huge presence on the pitch has been integral to the PL2 side. What tends to happen with strikers is that they are based purely on stats, however, Martell looks good stats-wise but his class and know how on the field shows spectators that it is only a matter of time before he breaks through into our first team and pushes the likes of Aleksander Mitrovic for a name in a matchday squad in the future.

Having came through the same Chelsea youth team as the likes of Callum Hudson-Odoi, who was there to see Martell score a hat trick vs Reading u23s earlier on in the season, and also the likes of Reece James and Billy Gilmour, Martell will undoubtedly have the desire to follow in the successes of such players and I believe that he needs to feature in our first team in the near future to help continue his excellent development.




https://hammyend.com/index.php/2020/04/three-fulham-academy-stars-to-watch/


WhiteJC

Championship pundits pick their Team of the Season so far


We asked our Championship pundits to pick their Teams of the Season so far.

Our experts Keith Andrews, Don Goodman, Andy Hinchcliffe, Scott Minto, David Prutton and Gary Weaver selected their best XIs from the 2019/20 campaign...

Championship Pundits pick their Team of the Season

You can watch or listen below...

Keith Andrews

Mark Rodak would be up there for me, but the more I see of Brice Samba the more impressed I am. It's his first season in the league and he's been such a commanding presence as a goalkeeper for Nottingham Forest.

There was no left-back screaming out at me, so I have gone for a back three. Luke Ayling has done well in multiple positions this season for Leeds, while Semi Ajayi was a shrewd purchase for West Brom. He has forced his way in from the start of the season and kept his place. Ben White, meanwhile, is a no-brainer. He has settled like snow for Leeds at this level.

Jude Bellingham needs a mention for his displays, considering he's just 16, but I have gone for a midfield four of Jed Wallace - who has been like Roy of the Rovers for Millwall, Kalvin Phillips, who has been an absolute rock for Leeds and is a class above everyone else in his position in the Championship, Romaine Sawyers and Said Benrahma.

In attack I have picked Matheus Pereira to sit in as a No 10, who has spent a lot of the season playing on a different level to most, and is my Player of the Season. Then up front Aleksandar Mitrovic, who at times has been living on scraps at Fulham, but has still scored so many goals, and Ollie Watkins - who has adapted superbly to playing up front.

Don Goodman

Goalkeeper was tough. Brentford's David Raya and Fulham's Marek Rodak were both in my thinking, but I had to go for Brice Samba. He was not even in the team at the start of the season and deserves enormous credit for forcing his way in.

In defence, Nottingham Forest's Matty Cash has evolved as a player since switching to right-back. I have also gone for Fulham's Joe Bryan at left-back. You have seen at Liverpool how important attacking full-backs are in modern football. The two centre-backs will be Ben White, who I have been so impressed with at Leeds with his work on the ball and his passing, and Semi Ajayi, who has a brilliant return of five goals, and brings a vital amount of athleticism to West Brom.

Kalvin Phillips has a fantastic range of passing and his reading of the game is fantastic. There is no one better in the Championship at what he does for Leeds. Lewis Travis has been exceptional for Blackburn, but I have to go for Romaine Sawyers to join Phillips in midfield. I liken him to an orchestra conductor for West Brom, he is always available for a pass.

It was hard to leave out Said Benrahma, but I have gone for his team-mates Bryan Mbeumo and Ollie Watkins on either wing. I know Watkins plays through the middle now, but I have had to fit him in. Honourable mentions to Leeds' Jack Harrison, Swansea's Andre Ayew, QPR's Ebere Eze and Preston's Daniel Johnson, but I have selected Matheus Pereira to complete my attacking midfield. His six assists and 12 goals are an incredible return.

Scoring 23 goals in 34 games speaks for itself for Aleksandar Mitrovic. You look at West Brom and they have players chipping in from everywhere, but Fulham do not have that. He has scored 23 of their 52 goals, which is monumental. That is why he is also my Player of the Season.

Andy Hinchcliffe

David Raya and Marek Rodak were in the mix, but Brice Samba has, quite literally, been huge in goal for Nottingham Forest this season, so I have to go for him.

The modern full-back is all about getting forward, and that's what Matty Cash and Joe Bryan do so well for their sides. The amount of goals and assists they have produced this season speaks for itself. In central defence Ben White and Semi Ajayi offer different styles, but they can both defend and play as well. It would be an excellent partnership.

Everyone knows how good Kalvin Phillips is, but I wanted to get more attacking players in and I felt Ben Watson deserved a mention for his brilliant performances this season. Then in my attacking midfield three you have to look at Jed Wallace for how good he has been at Millwall with 10 goals and nine assists, Matheus Pereira has been a huge part of steering West Brom towards promotion and Said Benrahma is one of the standout individuals in the league.

Ollie Watkins and Aleksandar Mitrovic are different types of striker, and Watkins is my Player of the Season as he has just taken to that new position so well and looks a natural goal scorer. Mitrovic has been exceptional but we know all about him.

Scott Minto

Marek Rodak has helped keep Fulham in the automatic-promotion race. Everyone talks about their striker (who we will come onto later!), but sometimes stopping a goal is as important as scoring them.

Mahlon Romeo has done great at Millwall, but this was a choice between Luke Ayling and Matty Cash at right-back, and I have had to go for Ayling. At left-back I have enjoyed watching Joe Bryan this season, but Rico Henry has been excellent for Brentford. I remember seeing him at Walsall and thinking he was a real talent. Injuries held him back but this has been his breakthrough season. Joe Worrall has also been excellent for Nottingham Forest, but in central defence it has to be Ben White and Semi Ajayi.

In midfield you simply have to put Kalvin Phillips in - although it was tough to leave out Jake Livermore and Ben Watson in defensive midfield roles, while Matheus Pereira and Ebere Eze are my attacking midfield pair. With Eze in particular you can see his quality, strength and technical ability and I would be surprised if he was not a Premier League player sooner or later. Jed Wallace, Joe Lolley and Bryan Mbeumo all deserve a shout, but my two wingers will be Said Benrahma on the right and Jarrod Bowen on the left. I know Bowen left in January but you can see how much Hull have missed him.

Hal Robson-Kanu and Lewis Grabban deserve a mention but my striker will be Aleksandar Mitrovic. I have left out Ollie Watkins, even though he is my Player of the Season! He has been a revelation since switching positions for Brentford and looks like he has played that position for years. Because of that he has been my best performer in the Championship. But I did not want to put anyone in a position they have not been playing this season, and if I had to pick one player to start up front for me in the play-off final, it would be Mitrovic. That is the only reason he is in my team ahead of Watkins.

David Prutton

I probably would have had David Raya before his form dropped, and Freddie Woodman at Swansea has been very good, but in a toss-up between Marek Rodak and Brice Samba for my goalkeeper, I will probably just about have to go for Rodak.

Luke Ayling has had a fantastic season for Leeds, but Matty Cash just about pips him at right-back due to the fact he is playing in a new position. Ben White is the obvious choice at centre-back, and I have also been impressed with Tim Ream this campaign. His partner at Fulham has chopped and changed but he has been very consistent. Brentford have the best defence in the league so they need a representative, so I will plump for Rico Henry at left-back.

You can try and think outside the box, but at the end of the day you have to put Kalvin Phillips in midfield. I may have gone a bit defensive here but I cannot leave out Ben Watson either, because he has looked revitalised this season. Romaine Sawyers was a player I admired at Brentford and I am sure he can play a role a bit further forward than what he is used to with the quality he has!

Up front I have had to shift my Player of the Season Ollie Watkins slightly out of position to get him in. But I will be giving him plenty of freedom to cut in from the left! Matheus Pereira will be on the other side in my fluid formation and both will provide Aleksandar Mitrovic with plenty of service.

Gary Weaver

Marcus Bettinelli started the season in goal for Fulham but you felt they needed to make a change at goalkeeper, and Marek Rodak came in and has been exceptional - aside from the infamous Barnsley game! Then the game after that he bounced back and was brilliant against Derby.

Matty Cash said at the start of the season he wanted to prove people wrong who said he could not play at right-back, and he has done just that! While I have to get Stuart Dallas in the team at left-back. Marcelo Bielsa always finds a place for him so I will too! Ben White has been excellent and Luke Ayling, who has flipped between positions, has emerged as a real leader on the pitch, so I will put him in to partner his Leeds team-mate in central defence.

Kalvin Phillips will be sitting deep. He can do everything and he will be busy with the amount of attacking talent I have got elsewhere! Matheus Pereira will join him in the middle and provide that X Factor, while I have gone for Bryan Mbeumo on the right of midfield and Said Benrahma on the left. Both have produced incredible numbers this season.

Up top will be Aleksandar Mitrovic, who has scored so many important goals for Fulham and is massively important for them in his hold-up play, and Ollie Watkins - who is my Player of the Season. He has adapted and turned into a proper No 9. He knows where to be in the penalty box, and he's a top lad.



https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/11969247/championship-pundits-pick-their-team-of-the-season-so-far

WhiteJC

Checking In

During this difficult and unprecedented time that we are living in, Fulham FC and Foundation staff have been busy phoning supporters, participants and elderly residents to check up on their wellbeing.

Over the past two weeks, 650 phone calls have been made by staff to Season Ticket Holders aged over-70, and those registered with the Club as having accessibility needs. Staff from the Club's Communications, Supporter Relations, Ticket Office, Academy, Player Care, Squad Management, Legal and Safeguarding departments have been making these calls. Staff have been able to provide information on resources available and will stay in regular contact with any supporter who requests this.

Foundation Coaches and Administrative staff have been calling participants from our Walking Football, Fulham Fit and Fulham Memories programmes, and have also been working with South Fulham Primary Care Network to make befriending calls to elderly locals.

120 calls have been made by the Foundation staff and they continue to be in regular contact with 50 participants and elderly locals. The Foundation have also been working with their partners, Enable Culture and Leisure (Wandsworth) and Age UK Hammersmith and Fulham, to reach out to Fulham Memories participants in those areas. Several coaches have also volunteered for Alton Supported Housing Association and delivered food packages to those in need.

These calls have focused on supporters registered as living in areas of Greater London within the catchment zone of the Club and Foundation, so we can signpost supporters to local resources if necessary.

The Club will be expanding its calls to Season Ticket Holders in these groups who live outside of Greater London in the coming days.

Speaking on this initiative, Fulham FC Foundation CEO Mike McSweeney said: "More than 20 members of staff between the Club and Foundation have been busy making important and impactful phone calls to those members of the Fulham family who are most in need. It's so important we stay connected and give each other encouragement at this time. I would encourage everyone to make that call to someone who might need it."

If you know any supporter who you feel would appreciate a call from the Club during this time please email [email protected].



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2020/april/07/checking-in