Monday Fulham Stuff - 18/05/20...

[WhiteJC]

'Only care about big teams' – Many Fulham fans react angrily to resurfacing footage

Fulham fans have reacted to old footage of Pajtim Kasami's goal against Crystal Palace in 2013.

Then manager Martin Jol described it as 'one of the best he'd ever seen', yet Kasami's chest and volley striker at Selhurst Park is too often forgotten.

It's the main draw from his three year stint at Craven Cottage, which ended after the 2013/14 season. The Swiss has since represented the likes of Olimpiacos and Nottingham Forest, and is today playing for Swiss side FC Sion.

One Fulham fan took to Twitter to recall the goal, pointing out that it's always forgotten from Premier League folklore, and plenty of Fulham fans felt the same.

Fulham would see three managers in the dugout that season before finishing 19th, and dropping into the Championship. Nevertheless, Kasami's goal was a moment that season which fans will never forget.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/only-care-about-big-teams-many-fulham-fans-react-angrily-to-resurfacing-footage/

[WhiteJC]

Ex-Portsmouth and Spurs favourite reveals near Sunderland transfer and "significant" Fulham interest

In a Q&A with the Daily Mail, former Portsmouth and Spurs striker Peter Crouch has revealed he came very close to joining Sunderland in 2009, also revealing he was subject to "significant interest" from Fulham.

Retired striker Peter Crouch enjoyed a successful career from 1998 to 2019. The former England international striker played for Spurs, Dulwich Hamlet (loan), IFK Hasselholm (loan), QPR (loan), Portsmouth, Aston Villa, Norwich City (loan), Southampton, Liverpool, Stoke City and Burnley over the course of his career.

Now, Crouch has revealed he could have added either Sunderland or Fulham to that list as well. In the summer of 2009, the Black Cats almost brought in Crouch from Portsmouth. The club even showed the striker around the training ground and even looked at houses in the area. While Fulham's interest did not go as far as Sunderland's, Crouch said that the Cottagers did show "significant interest". He said:

"History shows I went from Portsmouth to Tottenham in the summer of 2009 but it could quite easily have been Portsmouth to Sunderland. Steve Bruce was keen to sign me and it got to the point where I flew up to the North East from the South Coast.

"Steve took me around Sunderland's fantastic training ground, we had lunch together and I was even taken to the areas where the other players lived to look at possible houses. I was prepared to move there over Fulham, who had also shown a significant interest.

"On the way back home, though, I got a call from Harry Redknapp, who asked me about my plans. When I told him about Sunderland, he made his pitch for Tottenham and having not even been in the picture, I was suddenly headed for White Hart Lane. I'm glad it worked out as it did."

Over the course of his career, Crouch played in 676 games across all competitions, scoring 187 goals and providing 70 assists in the process. He enjoyed a successful international career as well, netting 22 goals in 42 games for England (all stats via Transfermarkt).

It would have been interesting to see if a move to either Sunderland or Fulham instead of a return to Spurs would have changed the career path of Crouch.



https://the72.co.uk/166256/ex-portsmouth-and-spurs-favourite-reveals-near-sunderland-transfer-and-significant-fulham-interest/

[WhiteJC]

MOT View: Danny Murphy comments on potential restart should give hope to anxious Leeds fans

Leeds United are still anxiously awaiting some kind off indication on whether or not they will be promoted this season.

With nine Championship games left to play, the Whites are set for a voting "D-Day" this coming week as clubs from the second tier take part in an EFL ballot to decide on a resolution to the 2019/20 campaign.

Playing those remaining matches could prove to be an important factor in Leeds' promotion push, with a number of clubs said to be keen on the idea of the season being finished early, and are even planning to oppose our potential return to the top flight if the second tier is decided by a points per game average.

With that in mind, Danny Murphy's comments on the German Bundesliga resuming its future schedule on Saturday should come as a source of some comfort to nervous Whites fans.

Writing in a column for the Daily Mail, he said: "I don't see any reason not to step up training now in anticipation that it could be us fairly soon.

"They say football is the most important of the unimportant things in life. People will be looking for an outlet having been in lockdown for quite a time now.

"We don't want any repercussions from live matches but, provided the proper testing is there, a restart is do-able.

"The players [in Borussia Dortmund's 4-0 win over Schalke] provided a meaningful, competitive match. That will be true for this country and will give everyone a lift. I enjoyed the game and it represented an important step forward."

Murphy's assessment comes after The Sun journalist Alan Nixon suggested on Twitter that there is "no struggle" to getting things moving again in the Championship.

If that is the case, and if we follow Murphy's logic and take Germany's example as a blueprint for how we can get teams back on the pitch in the near future, there is no reason why we can't hope for a positive outcome in the next few days.

That would allow us to finish our promotion push properly, and to put these nonsensical arguments about blocking our top flight return to bed.



https://motleedsnews.com/comment/mot-view-danny-murphy-comments-on-potential-restart-should-give-hope-to-anxious-leeds-fans/

[WhiteJC]

'It was a bit of an anti-climax': Ex-Fulham striker Adam Taggart warns Premier League stars that playing without fans can feel underwhelming after playing for Suwon Bluewings in South Korea's K-League this month

    Premier League stars will feel sense of anti-climax when returning, says Taggart
    The ex-Fulham striker was one of the first players to play football after lockdown
    He was part of the Suwon Bluewings side who took on Jeonbuk Motors on May 8
    The Bundesliga returned to action this weekend following a two-month hiatus
    England's top flight are looking to follow suit with a mid-June return pencilled in

Premier League stars will feel a sense of anti-climax when returning to action that may cause them to forget the importance of vital matches.

The English top flight hopes to resume next month with relegation and European qualification up for grabs - but the prospect of playing in front of empty stadiums, due to the coronavirus pandemic, risks dulling the players' competitive edge.

Australian forward Adam Taggart was one of the first players to start again after Covid-19 forced the suspension of football in most countries, when he was part of the Suwon Bluewings side who took on Jeonbuk Motors behind closed doors in South Korea's K-League on May 8 - watched by about 3.5million football-starved fans across the world.


Premier League stars will feel sense of an anti-climax when returning, says Adam Taggart
The ex-Fulham striker (right) was one of the first players to play football after lockdown, when his Suwon Bluewings side took on Jeonbuk Motors in 


The ex-Fulham striker (right) was one of the first players to play football after lockdown, when his Suwon Bluewings side took on Jeonbuk Motors in South Korea's K-League on May 8

'To walk into an empty stadium and play a competitive match that was being watched all over the world was just a really weird feeling,' said Taggart. '[It was strange] playing in front of an empty stadium but also knowing you're playing for points and that the result will contribute to where you finish in the season.

'It was a bit of an anti-climax. Most professional athletes would say the same thing. When you've got a crowd there it lifts the whole intensity of the game. It's going to take a couple of weeks to get used to that feeling.'

This weekend, the Bundesliga became the first major European league to get the season going again, with the Premier League still in discussions about when the 2019-20 campaign can be revived.


Bundesliga became the first major European league to get the season restarted this weekend

The K-League imposed strict social distancing conditions before restarting the competition, with handshakes and spitting banned and players forbidden from talking at close proximity to one another.

But Taggart warned that these warnings are virtually impossible to police. He told the BBC's World Football programme: 'Before the game it was a bit more stiff in terms of what was being allowed but by the end people probably just forgot about it.

'Some people were shaking hands. The rules were there but they were not set in stone. It is like a recommendation not to shake hands or be in the group huddle but it's pretty hard to administer.

'I tried to keep my mouth shut as much as I good. For much of the game, everyone fell into silent mode.'



https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-8328261/Adam-Taggart-warns-Premier-League-stars-playing-without-fans-bit-anti-climax.html

[WhiteJC]

Wow! Response to Worthing crowdfunding bid is amazing - even a Fulham midfielder has pitched in
Three days after launching a bid to raise £43,000 to pay for vital improvements to their Woodside Road ground, Worthing FC are - incredibly - already almost halfway to the target.

As of Sunday evening, the effort had landed more than £17,000 from just over 150 backers.

The cash will be added to £96,000 of funds already secured to pay for a wide range of improvements to get the Crucial Environmental Stadium ready for a future in which Worthing have a growing number of teams and see their first team being in the National League.

Improvements include new floodlights, a new additional bar, new toilets and new changing rooms.

The Mackerel Men were on course for promotion from the Isthmian premier to the National South this season before football was halted and the FA controversially decided to expunge results for non-league divisions at Worthing's level - step three - and below.

As the fundraising total neared £18,000, Worthing tweeted: "Wonderful, wonderful stuff by all of you, let's keep it going. Keep supporting us and don't stop spreading the word!"

The club have come up with a variety of 'rewards' people can earn by donating certain sums - including the chance to be mascot, have a training session with manager Adam Hinshelwood and buy lifetime season tickets, of which a number have already been sold.

Hinshelwood has promised to run from his home in Selsey to Worthing's ground if the £20k mark is reached by 3pm on Saturday, May 23.

Fulham midfielder Harrison Reed, who was born in Worthing, was one of the big early backers with a £2000.



https://www.westsussextoday.co.uk/sport/football/wow-response-worthing-crowdfunding-bid-amazing-even-fulham-midfielder-has-pitched-2856087

[WhiteJC]

'I drove him back home and he didn't talk to me in the car... I felt very uncomfortable': Nani reveals frosty drive with Sir Alex Ferguson after being blasted for taking a penalty off Ryan Giggs and MISSING as Man United drew with Fulham in 2010

    Nani used to drive neighbour Sir Alex Ferguson home from certain away games
    But one night the Manchester United boss wouldn't talk to the Portuguese star
    In 2010, with United 2-1 up against Fulham, substitute Nani missed a penalty
    The winger had insisted he take it ahead of Ryan Giggs but United drew 2-2

Nani has revealed that Sir Alex Ferguson once refused to speak to him on a car journey home after the Manchester United star missed a penalty.

Ferguson was neighbours with the Portugal winger in Wilmslow and Nani used to give his manager a lift back from Stockport station when United travelled to games in London by train.

But after he came off the bench in a 2-2 draw at Fulham in August 2010 and had a penalty saved by goalkeeper David Stockdale, Ferguson lambasted 


Nani has recalled the time Sir Alex Ferguson blanked him after missing a penalty in 2010


The Portuguese star insisted he take the spot-kick ahead of Ryan Giggs but missed


Ferguson was so furious that when Nani gave him a lift home, the Scot ignored his player

The situation was made even worse because the player had insisted on taking the penalty ahead of Ryan Giggs with United 2-1 in front, and Fulham defender Brede Hangeland then made up for an own-goal by heading a late equaliser.

'He (Ferguson) was my neighbour and we used to go to London by train,' recalled Nani on the Official Manchester United Podcast. 

'His wife or his family used to leave him in the train station so on the way back he has no driver to take him so he was looking for someone who lives close to him to give him a ride.


Ferguson, with his infamous 'hairdryer' treatment, laid into the winger in the dressing room

'So I said, "okay boss, I'll take you home!" But that day, it's so funny believe me! The day I took him home was after a game against Fulham away and I was on the bench.

'I was playing unbelievable with a lot of confidence. We won a penalty and it was Ryan Giggs who took the penalties. I felt confident and Giggs didn't say anything. I took the penalty and I missed!

'In the dressing-room he killed me. He said, "Nani, who do you think you are? Who gave you permission to take the penalty?".

'And then he killed Ryan Giggs, because he said, "Ryan, why did you let him take the penalty?". Ryan said, "he grabbed the ball and I let him". Oh my god, that day was incredible.

'We are going back home that day and I say, "boss, I can take you home". I drove him back home and he didn't talk to me in the car. I felt very uncomfortable driving home.'

Even so, Nani describes his relationship with Ferguson as 'perfect' during an eight-year United career that followed his £17million move from Sporting Lisbon in 2007.

'He's a man who knows how to manage all characters, all different ages, all different personalities,' added the winger, now 33 and playing for Orlando City in MLS.

'My personality in that time, I was young, and not easy. I know that and I learned a lot, I changed a lot. That is life. You must learn.

'It was so important for me to have Giggs, (Paul) Scholes and Rio Ferdinand because they were there every time, pushing me and saying things to me.

'I was not understanding what they were doing. I thought they didn't like me. They would just, every time, go mad at me because things didn't go well. But they saw a lot of potential in me in training and were believing a lot in me.

'After two years or three years, I started realising a lot. It's one thing to listen but you try to do what they say. I tried to do what they were saying to me.

'I learned a lot. (Patrice) Evra was one of the best friends I had in Manchester. Every time when I needed it, he was there to give me some advice and would come down and think what I have to do to be positive. He was like a brother. All the players, there were many fantastic moments.'

Nani admitted that the players' competitive streak often led to fall-outs in training with teammates having to be separated.

He was involved in a physical altercation with reserve team midfielder Davide Petrucci in September 2012, revealed at the time by Sportsmail.

'(Nemanja) Vidic, I trained a lot with him one-on-one and he was breaking my ankles! It was just friendly training,' added Nani. 'He was hard and intense, but I understand to train is to be as strong as we are: you feel the pain, you feel it's hard, but no problem.

'I learned that what happened on the field stayed on the field. Outside is another life, another thing.

'We as a team, this is private, used to fight a lot in training. Not fight like this but challenge hard - everyone and someone would say he didn't like it. He'd say, "come on, what are you doing" and it was close to a fight. Others would separate them and, from there, you'd go to the gym or inside to the facility, it's gone.

'That's why we were champions, the hardest team to beat. Every time it arrived, we had to be a real team to beat anyone and we were there. That's why I get a lot of experience from that time of life I lived in Manchester.'



https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-8328985/Nani-reveals-frosty-drive-Sir-Alex-Ferguson-taking-penalty-Ryan-Giggs-MISSING.html