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Thursday Fulham Stuff - 21/05/20...

Started by WhiteJC, May 21, 2020, 08:29:58 AM

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WhiteJC

Keeping Up With The Khan's

As owners of Fulham FC, the Jacksonville Jaguars and most recently All Elite Wrestling, it's fair to say that the Khan family are currently spinning a lot of sporting plates. Matt Hancock-Bruce evaluates how their three ventures are performing.


Tony and Shahid Khan are living the dream of every sports fan as owners of three very large sporting franchises. I'm realistic and I know there's only so far the Khan's can be held responsible for the success or failures of these ventures, but with Tony playing an increasingly hands-on role at every one of them, it seems reasonable to assess their impact so far.

Fulham Football Club
As a lifelong Fulham fan, I must confess to a certain bias when evaluating the club's ownership. After the unexpected Europa League run of 2010, I think it's fair to say that the atmosphere at Craven Cottage had gone a bit stale and so it was almost unsurprising when we were relegated less than 12 months after the sale of the club in 2013. Three managers and arguably the most ill-informed signing in Fulham's history in this time didn't provide a promising start for the Khans. In preparation for life in the championship Shahid broke the bank, shelling out a Championship record fee for Ross McCormack alongside a host of experienced European talent. This didn't turn out quite as planned as Fulham finished 17th in the second tier.

Despite the form of attacking pair McCormack and Moussa Dembélé, Fulham amazingly finished even lower in their second season in the Championship, falling to 20th, narrowly avoiding a second relegation in three years. Having worked their way through five managers, the Khans made the decision to keep faith in Slaviša Jokanović – and what a decision that turned out to be. In his first full season in charge Fulham made the playoffs despite a streak of penalty mishaps and the lack of a striker to call their own. A disgruntled Chris Martin can only carry you so far and Fulham were knocked out of the playoffs, but the signs were there, and hopes were high for 17/18 season. A shaky start was worrying but Christmas came early as Fulham's unprecedented 23 game unbeaten streak began on the 23rd of December 2017.

Something was still missing though, and on the last day of the January transfer window the final piece of the puzzle was found. Perhaps the most important moment for Fulham under the Khans, and a shrewd piece of business too, Aleksandar Mitrović arrived in SW6. In the second half of the 17/18 season Fulham played some of the best football seen on Stevenage road since a certain Roy Hodgson was in charge. Fulham flew up the table, narrowly missing out on automatic promotion but making short work of Derby County and Aston Villa in the playoffs. Fulham were back in the Premier League.

By now Fulham fans were all aware of the financial might of the Khan's but with skyrocketing transfer fees it was uncertain how we would be able to compete with the top tier giants. What took place in the summer of 2018 was anything but dull. Tony Khan, in his new role as director of footballing operations, spent a whopping £104 million (Transfermarkt) on new recruits – the third most in the league and the most ever by a newly recruited team. Tony would learn a harsh lesson however as despite breaking the clubs transfer record three times Fulham were relegated, ten points adrift.

This season has perhaps been the most confident I have felt in Fulham's management for a while. While I would prefer an experienced coach like Jokanović back at the helm, but Scott will do for now. What has been most impressive this year is the clear advances made by Tony in terms of recruitment. Instead of misjudged European signings we saw shrewd signings of proven championship stars. Anthony Knockaert, Harrison Reed and Bobby Reid are just some of the new loan recruits who have impressed so far, with the latter having been made permanent in January alongside attacking companion Ivan Cavaleiro. Equally impressive has been the club's ability to hold onto stars like Tom Cairney and Mitrovic, who in the past would have been snapped up by mid-table premier league sides. Unfortunately, the season was brought to a halt but with Fulham 3rd in the league and huge developments being made to the Riverside Stand it is certainly a time to be optimistic. I for one am pleased with life under the Khans, even if it does mean having to take home a new clapper every weekend.

But those are just the thoughts of one cautiously optimistic fan. For a second opinion I spoke with the Daily Mail's Rory Tingle, a lifelong Fulham fan, and it seems I'm not alone in this view. "I think they've shown they're willing to invest in the club with money for transfers and by developing the stadium. That latter point is particularly important I think because it shows they understand the importance of the Cottage to the club's identity. Overall, I'm pretty satisfied with them especially when compared to the potential alternatives."

Not everyone shares this rose-tinted view and so, for a final opinion, I spoke with Fulhamish's George Singer. George commended the Khan's investment in the stadium and the squad but was concerned by the fluctuating success of the club's higher profile transfers, "Success hasn't correlated with money spent... it's the more expensive signings who have failed to fully translate their skills at the Cottage." Some of these transfer failings can be traced back to the clubs Director of Football, Tony Khan, "There's a bit of disconnect between him and the coaching staff. Spats between him and Slavisa were common, and often the players he brings in don't always seem to be the ones that the head coach wants." Mr Singer also questioned whether Khan can continue to fulfil his commitments to Fulham alongside his roles at the other sporting companies, "He's balancing major roles in Fulham, the Jacksonville Jaguars and his new Wrestling company. He has hired ex-coach Javier Pereira to fill the gap somewhat, but we're all unconvinced that he can actually give the role the attention it needs." It's not just in the boardroom that Tony has been hit or miss, George noted one Twitter confrontation that left a sour taste in the mouths of  the Fulham faithful, "The worst moment culminated in Tony telling a fellow fan to 'go to hell' following some criticism... a director of football simply cannot act that way!" Despite all the flaws, George believes there is reason to trust in the young Khan, "Tony is clearly very passionate about the club he runs, and he is more than happy to give fans little snippets of insight that we love to see," before adding, "I love that he's applying both stats and traditional scouting in his recruitment, and he seems to be a fair hand at negotiating."

Jacksonville Jaguars
Before the Khan's arrived in London they had already made a name for themselves across the pond when they purchased the Jacksonville Jaguars in January of 2012, becoming the NFL's first ethnic minority owner in the process. Much as we have begun to see at Craven Cottage, Shahid Khan has invested millions into the infrastructure of the Jags home – TIAA Bank Field. A dog park, swimming pools, an amphitheatre and the largest HD screens in the world are just some of the features that have been added to the 67,000-seater arena. Unfortunately, the similarities to Fulham continue in terms of on-pitch performance. In Eight seasons as owner, and with Tony currently in the role of Vice President of Football Technology & Analytics, the Jaguars have reached the playoffs only once where they were beaten by the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship game.

Perhaps what has been the most defining feature of Khans reign, at least from a British perspective, is the team's strong links with London. Since they took control the Jaguars have played a regular season game in London every year and, before the Coronavirus pandemic resulted in the cancellation of all international fixtures, were scheduled to play two in the 2020 season – a significant number considering the comparatively short, 16 game, NFL season.  Rumours of a permanent move to the big smoke continue to circulate and when reports of Shahid purchasing Wembley Stadium came about in 2018, it seemed like the speculation would finally become reality but alas the Jags remain in sunshine state.

To determine whether the Khans tenure of Jacksonville has been a success what truly matters is the view of the fan. I contacted the good people of Duval Pride, a Jags fan forum, to get an insight into life in Florida. What was made immediately clear is that there is a growing distain for head coach, Doug Marrone. Marrone has been a coach at the Jags in some capacity since 2015, becoming head coach in 2016. Fans feel that his dismissal is long overdue, but it is Khan who appears afraid to take that risk. "He's yet to have a full on clean cut or break from any regime," said one fan, adding "He's a smart business mogul that's not very smart nor bold when it comes to taking chances in professional sports." Another fan contended, "There are certain owners who are constantly hiring and firing coaches and GMs, with the result that their teams wallow in mediocrity or worse.  The Khans seem to be taking the opposite approach to a fault, seeming to value stability and patience, with much the same result." This idea of disengagement was repeated by many, with one fan stating, "I personally feel that he's not involved enough while his son has pretty much treated it like a toy." When reflecting on Tony's role, one fan put it bluntly, "Tony Khan is not qualified to make business decisions for Fulham FC or the Jags." Despite these comments there was an overriding sense that Shahid's heart is in the right place, "Shad Khan means well and has great visions for the city of Jacksonville and the Jaguars," exclaimed one fan, another adding "I have hope that, since they are smart people, they will figure things out and our results will improve."

For a final opinion on the situation in Florida I spoke with James from Gridiron Hub, a British based American Football news site. His view largely echoed that of the US fan perspective, highlighting the inept coach and general manager. "I think they need to be a little more urgent as they've allowed Dave Caldwell to misfire on so many high first round picks and he's still around. The same goes for coach Marrone, he's clearly not liked by players and he's not winning so why is he still there?" For James, the Khan's greatest achievement has been their increased British fan base, "While they aren't exactly doing much for their football team, they are doing a lot for the UK. From Jags camp, to sacrificing more home games and I'm sure many other initiatives. The Jags moving to London is almost definitely in the pipeline you would've thought." Reflecting on last week's draft, with a view to the future, James believes "This is a complete rebuild year for the Jags unless (Gardner) Minshew comes out and lights things up. The only way I see them with the No. 1 pick is if Minshew does suck and if that's the case then either Caldwell is gone or he has an easy pick of Trevor Lawrence". Clearly the best is yet to come for Shahid and Tony's Jaguars but with optimism high a Vince Lombardi trophy could one day be on the cards, the question is will they be taking it back to Jacksonville or London?

All Elite Wrestling
The latest sporting venture of the Khan's is All Elite Wrestling, with its inaugural event Double or Nothing taking place less than a year ago. With Shahid as lead investor and Tony serving as CEO and President, the company has acted quickly to build an impressive roster featuring some of the sport's most iconic stars including current world champion Jon Moxley, Chris Jericho and Cody Rhodes, who also serves as Executive Vice President. Assessing the success of Professional Wrestling is not quite the same as football and its American counterpart. Speaking with Aaron, of the Everything Elite podcast, one undeniable success is the viewing figures, "Khan secured an unprecedented national television deal for a brand-new wrestling company run by people with no history of successfully guiding wrestling or television properties." A similar deal was struck here in the U.K with ITV and in October 2019 AEW's weekly show Dynamite premiered, reaching US viewing figures of over 1.4 million, some half a million more than its competitor, WWE's NXT, achieved on the same night (WhatCulture). "That success is a credit to Khan, his apparent willingness to grant the wrestlers creative freedom" said Aaron.

Fellow podcast host Kyle Masters, of All Elite podcast & the No Holds Barred Network, shared this positive view of the company's owner. "I think Tony Khan is without a shout of a doubt, the best president and CEO a wrestling company could have! This man puts so much passion into his work that you can see it on TV when AEW is on" said Kyle, adding "The best thing about him is he is a wrestling fan first and a business man second, and so far that has shown that it can work and be successful". Clearly excitement and optimism is high within the AEW fanbase. The only glaring critique of the company was regarding Tony's reaction to the current pandemic. Aaron explained, "Khan has continued to hold tapings and is taking the show live again starting May 6. Those actions put the wrestlers, staff, their families and anyone they come in contact with at risk unnecessarily".

The past decade has certainly been a busy one at the Khan household. Poor results and a lack of engagement at Jacksonville has seen them come under scrutiny from the Jaguars fandom, yet there is still an appreciation for their investment in both the team and the city. Their latest venture, AEW, is perhaps the most promising yet but only time will tell if they are able to overcome their more glamorous competitor. The jury is still out amongst the Fulham faithful, but I for one believe the Khans will lead us to Premier League security soon enough.



https://www.fulhamish.co.uk/post/2020-05-20-keeping-up-with-the-khans/

WhiteJC

Stefan Johansen reacts to Celtic news on Twitter


Stefan Johansen has congratulated former club Celtic on a ninth-successive Premiership title.

Neil Lennon's side were crowned champions of the 2019-20 campaign this week, on a points-per-game average.

Scottish football has been suspended since March and with no way to continue the season, Celtic, who had a 13-point lead over Rangers at the summit, are top dogs once again in Glasgow.

Johansen, who joined the Parkhead club in 2014, helped his old side to three of those nine Premiership crowns.

And here's how the Norway international, now at Fulham and on loan at West Brom, reacted on Twitter to Monday's news.

The news didn't go down well on the blue half of the Old Firm divide.

Rangers have released a number of statements over the past couple of months in relation to how the season is going to be decided.

But on a football level, and leaving politics aside, Celtic are clearly worthy champions.

Rangers were only two points behind going into the new year, but it was a dismal 2020 for Steven Gerrard's side on the domestic front and in terms of football, they can have no complaints.

They just weren't as consistent as the Bhoys.



https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2020/05/20/stefan-johansen-reacts-to-celtic-news-on-twitter/

WhiteJC

'The bloke is a legend', 'Absolute icon' – Plenty of Fulham fans share their verdicts on 2016 arrival


Two years ago, Fulham would have been gearing up for a potential return to the Premier League and preparing for their play-off final clash with Aston Villa.

The Cottagers came from behind on aggregate to defeat Derby County in the semi-finals, with Ryan Sessegnon and Denis Odoi netting in the second leg to send Slavisa Jokanovic's side to Wembley.

Sessegnon may have moved onto pastures new since, but Odoi remains a key player for Fulham under Scott Parker, as they look to climb back up to the Premier League this season.

The Belgian has been fighting it out with Cyrus Christie for a place at right-back all season long, making 23 starts for Parker's men in the league.

Odoi is a reliable defender who has helped lead the London club to third place in the Championship table, and he will be hoping to help them get over the line this term.

Now 31, Odoi has been in and out of form over the past couple of seasons which is only natural due to his age, and this has divided opinions amongst the Cottagers' faithful.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/the-bloke-is-a-legend-absolute-icon-plenty-of-fulham-fans-share-their-verdicts-on-2016-arrival/


WhiteJC

Rangers release ex-Fulham and Swindon Town goalkeeper

Rangers have released former Fulham and Swindon town goalkeeper wes foderingham, as announced by Their official club website.

The Glasgow side have announced their retained list following the conclusion of the Scottish Premiership season.

Foderingham, who is 29 years old, is leaving Ibrox after five years at the club and will be a free agent this summer.

Steven Gerrard's side are also releasing Jak Alnwick, Andy Halliday, Jordan Holt and Jordan Rossiter, all of whom have played in the Football League and could return there over the coming months as they search for new clubs.

Foderingham joined Rangers in 2015 from Swindon Town and has since made 143 appearances. He helped them win promotion from the Scottish Championship in his first season.

However, the London-born stopper lost the number one spot to Allan McGregor over the past two seasons and saw his game time limited.

Foderingham started his career at Fulham and rose up through the youth ranks at Craven Cottage. He never made a senior appearance for the Cottagers and switched to London rivals Crystal Palace in 2010 as a youngster.

Loan spells at Bromley, Boreham Wood and Histon followed for him in non-league before he left Selhurst Park on a permanent basis to join Swindon in 2011.

Foderingham became a hit with the Robins and was their first choice 'keeper for four year, playing 191 times before his move up to Scotland.

He will now weigh up his next move and could have some Football League clubs monitoring his situation this summer.



https://the72.co.uk/167019/rangers-release-ex-fulham-and-swindon-town-goalkeeper/

WhiteJC

MOT View: Leeds may have 2nd chance to sign teen sensation as PL giants transfer plan reported

Leeds United failed in a bid to sign Cody Drameh from Fulham last year but they might have a second chance to land the young right-back in the coming months.

According to the Mirror, Manchester City are keen on signing the 18-year-old defender as they view him as someone who could develop into something special in the future.

It is understood that if Man City manage to sign Drameh then they might send him out on loan in order to gain invaluable first-team experience.

Drameh is reportedly one of the most promising young players at Fulham, whose reputation for nurturing top young talent is growing year by year.

Ryan Sessegnon, Mousse Dembele, Eberechi Eze and Patrick Roberts have all emerged at Craven Cottage in recent years and teen sensation Drameh could be next to join that impressive list of names.

Liverpool have also shown a reported interest in Drameh but Leeds have also been linked in the past.

Last year, Leeds made an offer to sign the England Under-18 international but, clearly, failed to land him as he ended up staying put at Fulham.

But with Man City entering the race and potentially loaning out the youngster, Leeds might stand a good chance of striking a temporary deal with the Premier League giants based on how well Jack Harrison has done on loan at Elland Road and Marcelo Bielsa's relationship with Pep Guardiola.

The Athletic's Phil Hay has already reported that Man City are keen to send young Brazilian right-back Yan Couto on loan to Elland Road but Leeds have not been reported to have shown interest in him.

But they have been interested in Drameh in the past and might be receptive to receiving the impressive teenager on loan.

This season, Drameh has made 17 Premier League 2 appearances for Fulham's Under-23s and supplied seven assists.

He is clearly an attack-minded right-back that might come in handy as a back-up option for Luke Ayling in the Premier League.



https://motleedsnews.com/comment/mot-view-leeds-may-have-new-to-sign-teen-sensation-who-man-city-could-send-out-on-loan/

WhiteJC

MAVERICK Dimitar Berbatov at Tottenham and Fulham 'never spoke to anyone,' but Darren Bent says maverick striker was completely different at Man United

Darren Bent recalled Dimitar Berbatov was not the easiest person to get to know and explained he felt so superior his teammates at Tottenham and Fulham that he barely spoke to anyone off the pitch.

And when we say 'off the pitch', we literally mean as soon as he left the field. That was it. Berba-out.

Berbatov is remembered as one of the most naturally talented players the Premier League has ever seen, and also one of the biggest maverick stars.

Sure, he built the reputation for his languid style and for being 'lazy', but when he turned it on the Bulgarian did things few other players could pull off, and with the flair and nonchalance that made it seem it was as easy as walking.

It was the kind of arrogance you want to see from a goalscorer, who knew exactly how good he was.

And he was arrogant, according to another of his former Spurs teammates Jamie O'Hara, but when you were as good as Berba was, you have a right to be.

In a recent interview with talkSPORT, Berbatov reflected on his arrival to the Premier League with Spurs, moving from Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen in 2006, and remembered thinking: 'Wait a minute, Spurs want me? What? Not Barcelona, Real Madrid and Manchester United?'

And in an Instagram post to confirm his retirement in September last year – which was a year after he last played a professional game – the striker even wrote: 'I did it my way! I played the way I wanna play, and I scored the goals I wanted to score!'

Well, you can't argue with that.

But, somewhat predictably and despite his mercurial talent, it appears he wasn't the biggest team-player away from the field.

From Bent's account of playing with him at Tottenham and during his later spell with Fulham, at least. When he joined Manchester United, where he scored 56 goals in 149 games and won two Premier League titles, it was a different story.

Asked what it was like playing with the seven-time Bulgarian footballer of the year, Bent told the talkSPORT Breakfast: "Well, it wasn't difficult, because he never spoke to me!

"We could be in the club canteen, completely empty, and I could be sitting at one table and he would go and sit at another table.

"There's no one in the planet he would come and sit next to to have a conversation with.

"I don't know if it was shyness, or what, and it wasn't just me.

"There could be me and another teammate sitting there talking, there could be five extra seats on our table, and he'd sit at the table further away from us.

"I was used to it, because I played with him at Spurs first, and this was when I was at Fulham with him as well.

"I just told the other lads: 'Yeah, that's just Berba'.

"But when I asked a few of the Manchester United players who played with him: 'Was he like that when he was with you? They were like: 'No!'

"But it's because they didn't allow him to get away with that at Manchester United, he was forced to, they kind of made him do it.

"But with us, because he was obviously the best player, he was like: 'Nah thanks'."

Bent said that didn't really matter at Spurs because the Premier League Golden Boot winner delivered on the pitch, but at Fulham his 'superiority' created a bit of an awkward atmosphere in the dressing room.

"At Fulham it was quite tough for him and he ended up leaving, but at Spurs on the pitch he was absolutely sensational, his touch, everything about him.

"So he was that way in the dressing room and the canteen and didn't really speak to anyone, but to be fair to him on the pitch he was a team-player.

"He might not have run as much as some people, but you know he'd always make the right pass, he always had that bit of quality that could win you the game, so he could kind of get away with it.

"But when he was at Fulham it wasn't really happening for him, and then you put that with the canteen stuff as well, it becomes a difficult environment.

"He can be frustrating, but at Fulham not one person shouted at him because he was the best player.

"It was like he was so superior to everybody people didn't think it was their right to say anything to him, even if he made the wrong decisions and made mistakes, which did happen sometimes, no one ever said anything to him."



https://talksport.com/football/708061/dimitar-berbatov-tottenham-or-fulham-darren-bent-man-utd/


WhiteJC

Manchester City: Fans react to transfer links with Fulham teenager Cody Drameh

A number of Manchester City fans have reacted to a transfer report linking them with a move for Fulham teenager Cody Drameh.

As noted by @City_Chief on Twitter, The Mirror reported that the Premier League champions are tracking the 18-year-old right-back as a potential signing for the future, viewing him as an ideal player to boost their home-grown quota.

According to The Mirror, Drameh is regarded as one of the London club's brightest prospects and has also attracted the attention of Liverpool and Leeds. The youngster has yet to feature for Fulham's first team but has stood out at Premier League 2 level for their under-23 side, with a goal and seven assists this season (as per TransferMarkt).

If he were to come to the Etihad, he would have Kyle Walker and Joao Cancelo ahead of him in the right-back queue, while Manchester City have also been linked with a potential summer move for Barcelona's Nelson Semedo (Sport via Sport Witness) to add to their options in that position.



https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/premier-league/manchester-city/man-city-fans-react-transfer-report-cody-drameh/

WhiteJC

DUEL: Who is the Fulham player of the season so far?

So it's certainly been an interesting season for Fulham.

When the season was suspended back in March, the Cottagers were 3rd in the Sky Bet Championship. Even though they were six points off 2nd placed West Bromwich Albion when the season was called off for a bit, there was still nine games to go in the season so they had a real chance of automatic promotion.

So it's a tense time to be a Fulham fan as they wait to see what happens with the restart. On a purely footballing basis they'll want it back so they have a chance of promotion, though with no play-offs being played if football is not resumed they might still have a chance. So while you wait to hear what Fulham's future is going to be, we have something for you to do.

There's been a lot of great Fulham players this season and using our duel winner stays on, you can decide who the best one is! So go do it!




https://the72.co.uk/167191/duel-who-is-the-fulham-player-of-the-season-so-far/