Tuesday Fulham Stuff - 14/04/20...

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Fulham 2018 – The Worst Spending Spree Ever?

It's the summer of 2018. Fulham have just been promoted and are eagerly anticipating their first top-flight campaign since 2013/14.

Spirits are high in the English capital, buoyed by the national team heroically reaching the semi-finals of the World Cup in Russia.

Fulham have spent £100m on players. Full of optimism, they head into the season with hopes of a top-half finish.

Will they achieve it? Quite the opposite.

They go straight back down.

What follows is a look at Fulham's five most expensive signings from the spending spree ahead of that season, and what on earth happened to them.

Jean Michaël Seri – £27m

Now on loan at Galatasaray, it really hasn't gone well for Seri, shown by his current market value of £8.55m according to Transfermarkt.

He is still a Fulham player but is now out in Turkey playing regularly. At the age of 28 his hopes of making it in the English Premier League might not yet be over, but his chances appear slim.

André-Frank Zambo Anguissa – £22m

Now on loan at Villarreal, he is in a similar situation to Seri. He has performed reasonably well in Spain, and at just 24 he could easily be a decent player in the future whether it be at Fulham or elsewhere.

He is predominantly a central midfielder but is more than competent further back if needed, meaning he could be a versatile option. There's still hope for Anguissa but was a terrible piece of business for Fulham at the time.

Alexander Mitrovic – £22m

Still at Fulham, and finally, a great piece of business. Mitrovic wasn't convincing in his first full season but during this campaign he has been absolutely sensational, scoring bags of goals including many winners, and has been arguably the best goalscorer in the Championship this year. Mitrovic could yet fire them back up to the Premer League.

Alfie Mawson – £15m

Another player who is still at Fulham, Mawson seemed like a great deal after he shone for Swansea in the Premier League.

He has never really got going at Fulham, though, and it could be argued they haven't got their £15m worth, although he is still playing regularly for them. Based on his time at Swansea, Mawson is still not up to his own standards but if he re finds his old form, could still be a great asset.

Joe Bryan – £6m

Joe Bryan was a decent pick up and is still at the club. His market value has increased and he is still playing very well, week in week out.

Although he is nothing spectacular he has been solid for Fulham which is just what they needed, and perhaps the type of signing they should have made more of.

Other dreadful signings or loans Fulham made that season include Ryan Babel, Andre Schürrle, Havard Nordveit, Lazar Markovic, Maxime La Merchand and Fabri.



https://worldfootballindex.com/2020/04/fulham-2018-the-worst-spending-spree-ever/

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Peter Schmeichel reveals he recommended his 'perfect' successor to Sir Alex Ferguson when he left Manchester United

Former Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel has revealed he recommended Sir Alex Ferguson should sign Edwin van der Sar as his successor – six years before the Dutchman eventually moved to Old Trafford.

Schmeichel left United for Sporting in 1999 after helping the side win their famous treble, with Mark Bosnich brought in on a free transfer from Aston Villa to replace him with mixed success.

A year later, unhappy with Bosnich's performances, Sir Alex raided the transfer market again to sign Fabien Barthez from Monaco for £7.8million, with the Frenchman losing his place three years later to Tim Howard.

It was not until Van der Sar arrived from Fulham in 2005 that United managed to find a goalkeeper with the longevity and calmness that Schmeichel had possessed – with Sir Alex trialling 10 different keepers over that period – with the Dutchman wearing the No.1 shirt until he retired in 2011.

Interestingly, Schmeichel has now revealed that he was aware of Van der Sar's talent long before he arrived at Old Trafford and wanted United to sign the then 29-year-old when he was still at Ajax.

Doing a Q&A from his home during the coronavirus lockdown, Schmeichel was asked if he had recommended any goalkeepers to Sir Alex when he left in 1999.

Schmeichel replied: 'I did. Thought Edwin would be perfect but he signed for Juventus.'

Although United won the title with Bosnich between the sticks following Schmeichel's exit, it was not until Van der Sar arrived that the club managed to win another Champions League, also winning the league in three successive seasons.

The Dutch legend was the first non-Italian to play in goal for Juventus but was criticised for a couple of high-profile mistakes during his time in Turin and after just two seasons the Old Lady broke the transfer record for a keeper to sign Gianluigi Buffon from Parma.

Unwilling to play backup to Buffon – who was clearly going to be first-choice – Van der Sar made an unexpected move to newly promoted Fulham in a £7m deal.

It did not take long for it to become clear that Van der Sar should be at a bigger club than the Cottagers and Sir Alex duly came calling, later admitting that he made a mistake by not signing the Dutchman from Ajax back in 1999.

'I tried to replace Schmeichel, but that was very difficult,' Ferguson said in 2007. 'We went for Fabien Barthez and he did well for a while, but he then had his own situations, so we went for Edwin.

'We really should have gone for him when Schmeichel left, but [former chairman] Martin Edwards had an agreement with Mark Bosnich at the time that took the wind out of our sails.

So we couldn't get Edwin, but I'd have loved to have got him then. 'He is different entirely to Schmeichel and you can't compare them, but there was a certain criteria to be a goalkeeper here which involved good experience, personality and also a good track record. Edwin has all of those qualities. He didn't cost us a lot of money, about £2million, so he's right up there with my best signings.'



Read more: https://metro.co.uk/2020/04/13/peter-schmeichel-successor-sir-alex-ferguson-manchester-united-edwin-van-der-sar-12550582/?ITO=squid&ito=newsnow-feed?ito=cbshare

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[WhiteJC]

Five Leeds United games which could seal Premier League promotion

Football stands suspended with Leeds United on top of the Sky Bet Championship pile by a one-point margin over nearest challengers West Bromwich Albion in 2nd and a healthier seven-point over the chasing play-off pack headed by Fulham.

When football creaks back into life, Leeds United fans will be hoping that the Whites can hit the ground running and continue the form that saw them enter COVID-19 suspension with five back-to-back wins and all by keeping a clean sheet.

There are nine games left in what has been a beyond-strange season for all sides. It is an extra-special one for the Whites in that it is their centenary campaign since being founded in October 1919 at the Salem Chapel, Leeds.

Here are five of those games that could prove vitally important in a run-in to the end of the season that will hopefully end in a long-awaited promotion back to the big time, back to the Premier League.

Cardiff City vs Leeds: the reverse fixture at Elland Road was barmy beyond belief. Leeds were 2-0 up after just 8 minutes (Costa 6′, Bamford 8′) before a second from Bamford (52′) put them into a game-winning position. A goal on the hour from Lee Tomlin started an unlikely comeback with Sean Morrison (82′) making it a nervous Elland Road. Morrison was shown a red card (86′) and 10-man Cardiff pulled a remarkable draw from the mouth of defeat when Robert Glatzel (88′) netted the Bluebirds third. Leeds' first game back in action will be vital if they are to kick-off and kick-on in the fashion they showed before the suspension of football.

Leeds United vs Fulham: Just before Christmas, Leeds lost the corresponding fixture at Craven Cottage 2-1. An early Aleksander Mitrovic goal (7′) was equalised just after the break by Patrick Bamford (54′) before Josh Onomah (69′) sealed the victory for the Cottagers. Second game back after the suspension of football and at Elland Road, albeit likely an empty Elland Road, would be in ideal opportunity for Leeds to widen the potential gap between themselves and the only side that they have left from the top-six to play.

Leeds vs Luton: A second. successive home game for the Whites against Luton Town who are struggling at the bottom end of the table. Away at Kenilworth Road, it was a slender 2-1 win for Leeds needing a late OG from Luton's Matty Pearson (90′) to win after Bamford's opener (51′) had been cancelled out almost immediately by James Collins' (54′) equaliser.  Against a struggling outfit, Leeds fans will be hoping for as comprehensive a display as dispatched Hull City (4-0) at the KCOM.

Blackburn vs Leeds: The reverse fixture back in early November at Elland Road saw Leeds run out 2-1 victors against Tony Mowbray's side thanks to goals from Patrick Bamford (30′) and Jack Harrison (35′) with Derrick Williams' reply (40′) sealing an action-packed opening 45 minutes. Against Blackburn on their patch, with Rovers likely to be in midtable, Leeds need to turn up the heat, crank up the pressure and come away with all three points.

Leeds United vs Barnsley: Hopefully, this mid-April game would have seen the Whites already promoted. As it stands, it still could as it will be the 6th of the 9 games that Leeds have still left to play. The two sides met in mid-September at Oakwell with Leeds returning up the M1 wit hall three points in the bag thanks to a 2-0 victory on the back of late goals from Eddie Nketiah (84′) and Mateusz Klich (89′). Barnsley could very well be relegated by the time Leeds play them at Elland Road and, if that is confirmed, a dominant Leeds United performance and all three points would be most welcome.



https://the72.co.uk/160517/five-leeds-united-games-which-could-seal-premier-league-promotion/

[WhiteJC]

Jovic in a bit of a crisis at Real Madrid but the goals will come - Mitrovic

The striker's Serbia co-star needs more first-team chances at Real Madrid if he is to make his mark in Spain

Real Madrid striker Luka Jovic "is in a bit of a crisis", but Aleksandar Mitrovic is confident his Serbia team-mate will improve with more game time.

Jovic arrived at the Santiago Bernabeu last June for a reported €60million, having scored 17 Bundesliga goals and 10 in the Europa League for Eintracht Frankfurt during the 2018-19 season.

However, the 22-year-old has scored just twice in 24 appearances – eight of which have come from the start – in all competitions with Madrid, completing the 90 minutes just once.

It has been reported Los Blancos could look to move Jovic on at the end of the season, perhaps as a makeweight in a deal to sign Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund. Arsenal are also said to be keen if Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang leaves Emirates Stadium in the next transfer window.

Mitrovic has no doubt Jovic, who drew criticism for breaching self-isolation procedures after returning to Serbia during the coronavirus pandemic, has the ability to make the grade at Madrid and thinks he just needs a decent run in the team from Zinedine Zidane.

"Luka is in a bit of a crisis," Mitrovic told Butasport. "When you are a striker, the most important thing is that you're on the pitch. That's my view.

"I don't think he was on the field that much and didn't get that much of a chance. I was in such a situation at Newcastle. You just get a chance for five, 10, 15, 20 minutes, and during that time you literally try to do what you should do and shouldn't do, to show everyone that you are worth it, especially when you play in such a big club. You want to do everything and you burn out in that desire.

"I think he just needs time to be on the pitch more. I'm convinced that with two or three 90-minute games the goals will come, but he is in that situation now and he has to continue work, believe in himself, train, and everything else will come.

"Goals are like ketchup. When you shake it, it won't come out, and then when it comes, more comes out than expected. The most important thing is that he works and continues to train, be persistent and not give up.

"I have told him a couple of times that he really has everything required to be a great attacker.

"Playing at Real Madrid also carries a lot of pressure, responsibility and all that stuff, but again I say, he is young, has many seasons and a lot of football ahead."



https://www.goal.com/en/news/jovic-in-a-bit-of-a-crisis-at-real-madrid-but-the-goals-will/ms5mwtajjsw71uk680keu4epc

[WhiteJC]

Fulham football stars warned to 'hide your willies' during Michael Jackson visit

The late King of Pop was a guest of Harrods boss Mohamed Al-Fayed, who at the time owned Fulham FC, and the Thriller star visited their Craven Cottage home back in 1999

Football stars were warned to watch their tackle when Michael Jackson visited their dressing room.

The late King of Pop was a guest of Harrods boss Mohamed Al-Fayed, who was then the owner of Fulham FC.

And after inviting the singer to watch the team at Craven Cottage, Al-Fayed took him to meet the players.

Former keeper Maik Taylor recalled: "Most of us were half-naked, having showers, in good spirits because we'd won.

"Al Fayed was a great character and great among the lads in the dressing room.


Fulham's players were told to 'watch their willies' when Michael Jackson visited (Image: Getty Images)

"He came in leading Michael Jackson and his quote, which made us all howl hysterically, as he came in was, 'Hide your willies, boys.'

Taylor went on: "He came in and met the guys, then we all agreed to get our clothes on and go back out on to the pitch to have our photos taken with him."

Jacko was given a tour of the Harrods toy department before attending the then-division three clash with Wigan Athletic.



https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/fulham-football-stars-warned-watch-21860930