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Friday Fulham Stuff - 12/06/20...

Started by WhiteJC, June 12, 2020, 10:07:09 AM

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WhiteJC

Former Sheffield Wednesday favourite Michael Hector sends amusing jibe to Barry Bannan

Training is in full swing for both Premier League and Championship clubs now, with the top flight getting underway in less than a week and the second tier following on a few days later.

The top 44 teams in England will be itching to get going now, and many still have something to play for this campaign.

One side that perhaps doesn't have as much riding on it as most, though, is Sheffield Wednesday, with them set for a mid-table finish barring a massive turnaround when things get going again.

The Owls were promotion contenders up until the turn of the year but 2020 has seen them fall by the wayside and now it's about finishing strongly.

Recently, the club shared footage of the players in training, playing a match against one another at Hillsborough.

Indeed, it saw Barry Bannan win a tackle and then drive up the pitch and former defender Michael Hector couldn't resist sending a jibe the Scotsman's way on social media:

The Verdict

Hector was excellent for the Owls and a partnership of him and Dominic Iorfa could have been really impressive.

Instead, though, he is at Fulham where he has done a fine job and he'll be looking to earn promotion with them this season.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/former-sheffield-wednesday-favourite-sends-amusing-jibe-to-current-owl/

WhiteJC

Sheffield United boss was never going to 'bin off' Oliver Norwood like Fulham and Brighton did
Chris Wilder has insisted he never contemplated denying Oliver Norwood the chance to play Premier League football after accusing two rival clubs of 'binning' the midfielder after he helped them reach the top-flight.

Norwood completed a hat-trick of promotions from the Championship last season when United, the club he had joined eight months earlier, finished second in the table behind Norwich City.

It was the third time in as many seasons the former Northern Ireland international had achieved the feat, following successful campaigns with Brighton and Hove Albion and Fulham - having moved to the capital on loan.

Although neither they nor Albion chose to retain Norwood's services after entering the PL, United's faith in the 29-year-old has been repaid with a series of impressive displays as Wilder's side climbed to seventh in the table before the fixture calendar was suspended because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Together with captain Billy Sharp, Norwood signed a new long-term contract at Bramall Lane on Wednesday and Wilder said: "He'll be delighted he was given the opportunity to play Premier League football after being binned twice by Fulham and Brighton. He was never going to get binned by me, he was brilliant for us in the Championship and he has been outstanding for us in the Premier League."

United will move to within two points of fourth-placed Chelsea with nine matches remaining if they beat Aston Villa on Wednesday, after the game was selected to mark English football's return to action following a three month long break.

Speaking at the height of the health crisis, Wilder told The Star he had put all contract talks on hold out of respect for those whose jobs in other industries had been furloughed.

But with the trip to the West Midlands less than a week away, he added: "I said at the start I thought it was not the right time to talk about new contracts and signing players and talking about the financial situation when the overall pandemic was gripping the country and gripping the world. Our focus is on Villa Park next week to get our season back up and running."



https://www.thestar.co.uk/sport/football/sheffield-united/sheffield-united-boss-was-never-going-bin-oliver-norwood-fulham-and-brighton-did-2881382

WhiteJC

The Final Sunday Night Fulham Quiz

Make sure you're about this weekend to test your knowledge of everything black and white in the Sunday Night Fulham Quiz.

With the resumption of the season just around the corner, this will be the final instalment of the Quiz, so don't miss it!

The four rounds coming your way are as follows:

    General knowledge
    Danny Murphy
    The 2019/20 season so far
    Who Am I?

Fans can play along on FFCtv or on our official YouTube channel. The link will be live on fulhamfc.com throughout the day, so just make sure you've got a pen a paper ready for the 7pm kick-off!

And if you've missed any of our previous four quizzes, head to the below links to give them a go.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2020/june/11/the-final-sunday-night-fulham-quiz


WhiteJC

Matchday Programme Update

With Fulham returning to Sky Bet Championship action on Saturday 20th June, we will also be continuing the publication of the Matchday Programme to be sold online and with a limited print edition.

There are four home fixtures remaining in the regular season; against Brentford, Birmingham City, Cardiff City and Sheffield Wednesday.

Each of these programmes will comprise the usual jam-packed 100 pages, full of great features, including notes from Scott Parker, opposition previews and the latest news from Fulham FC.

We will have a limited number of copies of the Matchday Programme on sale at the Club Store from 2pm on Friday 19th June.

Please note that the Stadium Store will be closed on home matchdays when fixtures are played behind closed doors.

However, should you wish to purchase a copy and have it posted to you in time for the big game, simply order online through our partners, Press Box Publishing, by 11am on Tuesday 16th June.

If you wish to pre-order and purchase ALL FOUR of the remaining regular-season Matchday Programmes, with a discount available for UK, European and International purchases, with prices starting at £20, including postage and packing, click here.

If you wish to pre-order Matchday Programmes for individual games, you can also do this. Simply click here.

You will also be able to purchase a digital version of the Matchday Programme online. Details will follow soon.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2020/june/11/matchday-programme-update

WhiteJC

Steed Malbranque – One of Tony Blair's 'favourite' footballers

For reasons surpassing normal logic, former prime minister Tony Blair was invited onto the BBC's Football Focus programme in 2005 to discuss his supposed love of the beautiful game. When asked to name his favourite players, the politician apparently went with Teddy Sheringham, Arjan de Zeeuw, and Steed Malbranque.

Teddy? Sure, that's fair enough. Arjan de Zeeuw has the ring of someone trying to legitimise his supposed footballing knowledge by picking someone more than a little left field. And then there's Malbranque who, at the time, was a few years into his career at Craven Cottage after joining Fulham for a then club record fee. So, what prompted Blair to eschew more obvious candidates, and totally ignore players from his supposed boyhood favourites, Newcastle United? Let's take a look at the Belgian born France international's career in England and assess whether such acclaim was justified.

An attacking midfielder, Malbranque began his professional career with Olympique Lyonnais, before Jean Tigana persuaded Fulham to part with £4.5million to secure the player's services ahead of the 2001-02 season. It was a deal heralded at the time by the newly promoted Premier League club's managing director Michael Fiddy, who declared that, "We are pleased and indeed delighted that Malbranque should choose to join Fulham. He will be a fantastic addition to the squad." Perhaps Blair knew a thing or two.

The Fulham fans certainly took the midfielder to their hearts and he became a firm favourite by the side of the Thames scoring 44 goals in a shade more than 200 games for the club. Deployed as the creative fulcrum of the team, in his first season, his 10 goals and others that he assisted in, followed by 13 the following season kept Fulham afloat and safe from a hasty return to the Championship.

Malbranque would flourish under the lollypop loving Tigana, but when the Frenchman left to be replaced by Chris Coleman in April 2003 as relegation looked a real prospect, things would change. Despite signing a new deal in October of the same year supposedly keeping him at the club until 2007, the new regime, arguably more pragmatic in outlook than the expansive game favoured by Tigana, would suit Malbranque's game much less. His goals return would dwindle over the following years, and some would argue that the change of system deployed by the Welshman was a contribution to that. Nevertheless, Malbranque remained a consistent presence in the Fulham line-up.

The extent of contracts is a moveable feast though, and with the last year of the deal approaching, talks to agree on anything further would flounder with the player, now 26 and in his prime, seeking a club more suited to his abilities, plus doubtless an increase in salary. With Malbranque declaring an intent to move on, Fulham were compelled to put him up for transfer, and a deal with Tottenham was agreed on Deadline Day ahead of the 2006-07 season. A fee reportedly of £2million changed hands, and Malbranque made the short trip across London from west to north. If the thinking was that Martin Jol's tactics would suit his style better, he would only have a short time to enjoy that, as the Dutchman was moved on in October 2007.

Playing just less than 100 times for Spurs, Malbranque's strike rate was much less than at Fulham, returning only a dozen goals in his two years at White Hart Lane. Whereas he had been the mainstay of the Craven Cottage club's creativity, at Spurs, his role was less prominent in a team that contained a number of talents with aspirations for the same role. It meant Malbranque was often shunted out to a wide position to accommodate others. He would pick up a League Cup winner's medal, playing 75 minutes of the Wembley showpiece, as Spurs lifted the trophy under Juande Ramos late in February 2008, but his days with the club were numbered.

Joining a miniature exodus from North London to the North East in July 2008, along with Teemu Tainio and Pascal Chimbonda, Malbranque moved to Sunderland on a four-year deal, with Roy Keane trying to add to the quality of the Stadium of Light squad to prevent another difficult season for the club. By now, however, Malbranque goals had become as rare as a politician – such as Blair – offering a straight answer to a straight question. In more than 100 games, across three seasons, he would find the net just twice, despite perhaps enjoying his best season, since the Fulham years, in the 2009-10 term. Similarly, to his time at Craven Cottage though, the Sunderland fans appreciated his application to the club's cause and the effort on the pitch as the Sunderland battled through difficult times, despite his lack of goals as his role was switched from flank to middle and then back again.

In the summer of 2011 however, with manager Steve Bruce deciding that the midfielder was surplus to requirements, Malbranque entered into talks with French club AS Saint-Étienne and joined Les Verts on a two-year deal in early August, closing a decade in the English game. He would however only play a single game for the club, before an agreement to cancel his contract was agreed between club and player. It's something that remains shrouded in mystery despite unwelcome, and later strenuously denied, rumours that the player's son was seriously ill. A return to Olympique Lyonnais saw out the final four years of his career.

Despite starring for the under-age France national teams on several occasions, Malbranque would never make the full Les Bleus team. This was a generation of gifted stars in blue with the likes of Zinédine Zidane, Thierry Henry, Claude Makélélé, Florent Malouda already in place and the emergence of Franck Ribéry. Such talents would block Malbranque's international aspirations at a time when he was enjoying his best years in England. Across a largely less than totally magnifique time in the Premier League, however, and a cool attitude from the national team,  at least Steed Malbranque had the apparent adulation of fans at his various clubs and, of course, that of Tony Blair, to keep him warm.



https://punditfeed.com/nostalgia/steed-malbranque/

WhiteJC

Gillingham release ex-Rotherham United and Fulham midfielder

Gillingham have released ex-Rotherham United and Fulham midfielder Ben Pringle, as announced by their official club website.

The Gills have published their retained list today and have announced Pringle will be becoming a free agent alongside Ouss Cisse and Mark Byrne.

Jordan Graham, Alfie Jones, Olly Lee, Tom O'Connor and Jordan Roberts have all also returned to their parent clubs after loan spells.

Their manager Steve Evans has said: "There is much work to be done following two days of meetings. My next priority is to meet with the Football staff on Monday and, given these unprecedented times, further tough decisions have to be implemented in line with the strategy set out by the board of directors.

"It is my job to put in place the best possible first team squad for season 2020/21, and of course do that within the resources provided."

Pringle, who is 31 years old, will have to weigh up his options this summer. He only joined Gillingham in September last year and made 11 appearances this past campaign.

He is an experienced player in the Football League and would be a decent options for clubs needing players over the coming months. He has previously played for the likes of Derby County, Rotherham United, Fulham, Ipswich Town, Preston North End, Oldham Athletic and Tranmere Rovers.

The conclusion of the League One season saw Gillingham finish in 10th position and nine points outside the Play-Offs.



https://the72.co.uk/172182/gillingham-release-ex-rotherham-united-and-fulham-midfielder/


WhiteJC

Pundit highlights how Leeds United player's confidence could inspire promotion rivals

Alex Bruce says that Adam Forshaw's recent comments may have given West Bromwich Albion and Fulham extra motivation in the race for automatic promotion.

Leeds return to league action after over three months on the 21st of June, as the Whites look to finish what they started and get over the line in their bid for promotion this term.

Marcelo Bielsa's side currently sit top of the Sky Bet Championship table, one point clear of West Brom, and seven points clear of third-placed Fulham, with nine league matches remaining.

Leeds undoubtedly have a massive chance of securing a long-awaited return to the Premier League this season, then, and Forshaw has recently talked up their chances of doing so.

Forshaw won't play a part in the rest of the season due to a hip problem, but speaking on the Leeds That podcast, he delivered a rather confident message.

Alex Bruce, however, believes that this confident message will put fire in West Brom and Fulham's bellies even more, as they look to close the gap on Leeds.

In an interview with Football Insider, he said: "When you come out and say things like that, it can spur on the opposition.

I'm sure the West Brom and Fulham lads are thinking: 'Who's this fella think he is, saying all this? Let's go ram his words down his throat.'

"It just gives people added incentive, I think you're sometimes better keeping your head down and getting on with it – when you've got the job done, you can say what you want."

The Verdict

Leeds players cannot afford to get ahead of themselves at this crucial stage of the season.

Nobody knows how players are going to react to returning to action, especially after three months without playing in the Championship and playing in front of an empty stadium.

It only takes two defeats here and there and two wins for Fulham, and they are right back in the mixer again.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/pundit-highlights-how-leeds-united-players-confidence-could-inspire-promotion-rivals/

WhiteJC

 A Cup of Tea then Blank

How a badly installed boiler almost killed the Fulham midfielder Robert Wilson

"I was unconscious for 24 hours. I woke up in intensive care and had no idea where I was or how I'd got there."

7 December 1983 began as an ordinary Wednesday in the life of the Fulham footballer Robert Wilson. He would end it unconscious and close to death. Then 22, the midfielder had attended training with the club that morning before heading to his three-bedroomed semi-detached home in Woosehill, near Wokingham, Berkshire, after lunch. "I went to training as normal," he said. "It was a cold, crisp day. I arrived home about 2pm. My wife Lesley got in a couple of hours later from her job as a dental nurse in a practice near Wokingham.

"We'd moved into a Wimpey Home on a brand-new estate two weeks before. Hardly anyone else had moved in so it was more or less a derelict site. It was chilly, so I put the heating on, as you do in the winter. I remember being in the kitchen and making a cup of tea about 5 or 6pm. I recall feeling felt a bit headachy and a bit fluey but after that, everything is blank."

Unbeknown to Robert and Lesley, leaking carbon monoxide gases from a faulty central heating boiler were silently poisoning the couple. When they failed to show for an arranged dinner date with Wilson's uncle Charlie and aunt Helen, his concerned relatives took action. "They lived in Farnborough, about 10 miles away," explained Robert. "We didn't have a landline at that point – I had to go to a phone box to make calls – so they couldn't ring to see where we were.

"When we didn't turn up my aunty thought it was very unusual. My uncle said, 'They've just moved in, they're probably sorting the house.' But my aunty kept saying, 'It isn't like Rob not to call, just drive round and make sure everything's okay.' Charlie set off about 9pm. He saw both our cars on the driveway and noticed some lights on in the house. He knocked on the door but got no response. He then walked around the back but couldn't see anything untoward.

"He went back home and said, 'It might be that they're in bed or they've gone out.' My aunty said, 'Something's not right.' She sent him to the local police station in Wokingham to voice their concerns. PC Plod came down to the house with him and they looked around the back with torches but again couldn't see anything. The policeman told my uncle to post a note through the door to say they were worried and to make contact as soon as possible. My uncle wanted to break the door down, but the policeman insisted there was no reason to do that."

Charlie returned home once more but was quickly on his way back to Wokingham for a third time. "It was gone midnight by now," said Robert. "By this stage, they'd been in contact with my mum and dad and my wife's mum and dad, who all said they hadn't heard from us. Everyone was starting to get a bit worried and a bit tetchy. My aunty told my uncle to go back to our house and break a window.

"He smashed the back window by the kitchen which was right by the boiler. As soon as he did that, all the fumes that had built up in the kitchen hit him straight away. He unlocked the door and came upstairs. He found me unconscious on the bathroom floor covered in vomit. My wife was unconscious on top of the bed. He had to drive back to the police station and then ambulances were on the scene in half an hour."

Robert and Lesley, who had married 18 months previously, were rushed to Reading's Royal Berkshire Hospital and placed on life support machines in intensive care. "It is shattering news for everybody here at the club," said the Fulham boss Malcolm Macdonald. "We are very, very concerned for Robert, his wife and their families."

"I came around a day later," said Robert. "I had 56% fumes inside me. But because I was so fit, it was actually about 25%. I recovered after a day or two, but my immune system was wrung out."

Things looked bleak for Lesley. "Lesley was critical and in a coma," said Robert. "After a couple of days, the doctors told me they didn't think she'd survive. If she did, she'd be a vegetable, and to fear the worst. I'll never forget those words."

Lesley's father, Brian Lawrence, kept a vigil at her bedside with his wife Bonni. He told the Reading Post that month, "It's been a nightmare for us. We've been all the way to hell and back. First the doctors told me she was dying, then they said she was going to live but would be paralysed and not able to talk, only grunt."

"There was a strong possibility she would have to stay in hospital for the rest of her life," said Robert. "The doctors said it was very grim. She was on a life-support machine for a long time, but they took her off it to do some tests. I could see a flicker of life in her and I was shouting, 'Fight, Lesley, fight.'

"After seven days her lungs started to clear. They took her off the ventilator and she was able to breathe on her own. By that time the media had got hold of the news. The Sun came in and took a picture for an exclusive. After about 12 days – just before Christmas – we were discharged and stayed with my parents in London."

The house-builder Wimpey accepted responsibility for incorrectly fitting the heating system. "We found out that the flue in the boiler hadn't been put in right," said Robert. "Instead of going outside, the fumes were coming back into the house. We sued Wimpey and they settled out of court four or five years later."

After leaving hospital, it was the long haul of returning to fitness and football for Robert.

"The incident completely drained my system," he said. "It knocked the stuffing out of me. It exhausted all the muscles in my body and took me a long time to recover physically.

"It was such a rare thing for a footballer to have – we didn't have dieticians or specialist trainers, so I just worked with the physio. The club monitored me on a day-to-day basis and I had regular blood tests but really it was just a case of building my strength back up. I played a behind-closed-doors game at the training ground and I made an appearance off the bench for the first team in early March. I wasn't really ready to return but I was desperate to get back. It really took me the best part of the rest of the season – about six months – to start feeling close to normal again."

A boyhood Fulham fan, Kensington-born Robert had joined the Cottagers at the age of 14, turning professional in 1979. The box-to-box midfielder was one of the stars of Malcolm Macdonald's swashbuckling side that had gone close to a second successive promotion in 1982-83. Needing a win on the final day of the Division Two campaign, Fulham suffered a highly controversial defeat at Derby in a game that was abandoned because of crowd trouble with 78 seconds to go and never replayed. But that's a story for another time.

Without Wilson for a large chunk of the following term, Fulham laboured in mid-table.

"I couldn't say whether we'd have done better had I been available," said Robert. "The Derby debacle really took the wind out of our sails, but we had a strong enough squad to do better than we did.

"We were still a close-knit unit. Ray Lewington, Tony Gale, Roger Brown and Gary Peters all came to see me in hospital. The rest of my teammates were great when I returned.

"A few opposing players tried to wind me up. They called me 'the gas man'. That pissed me off. I had a fight with one player at Millwall who said something on the pitch. We had a bit of a to-do, and it carried on into the players' bar after the game where I strung him up against the wall."

Wilson left Fulham for George Graham's Millwall in August 1985 for a fee of £57,500, then briefly spending time at Luton before heading back to the Cottage in 1987. He later played for Huddersfield, Rotherham, Altrincham and Farnborough, hanging up his boots in 1993. In total, he made 253 appearances for Fulham, scoring 42 goals. He subsequently became a national sales manager for work wear company Portwest Clothing.

"People used to question whether I was ever as fit as I was before the poisoning, but I still went on to have a good career," added Wilson, who was capped twice for Republic of Ireland Under-21s.  "If it hadn't been for my aunty and uncle, who were persistent in trying to reach me, I wouldn't have had any further career at all. Quite frankly, I wouldn't be here today."



https://www.theblizzard.co.uk/article/cup-tea-then-blank