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Wednesday Fulham Stuff - 18/11/20...

Started by WhiteJC, November 18, 2020, 12:02:42 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

WhiteJC

Albion fans to walk from Amex to Fulham in memory of friend



A GROUP of friends will walk from Falmer to Fulham to fundraise for a mental health charity in memory of their friend.

Alex Broadley, 39, from Worthing, took his own life on June 26 after suffering with depression.

His friend, Russell Booty, alongside 15 of Alex's family and friends, will walk from the Amex Stadium in Falmer, Brighton to Fulham FC's home ground, Craven Cottage, to pay tribute and raise money for Calm.

Alex was a huge Fulham fan, while many of his friends are season ticket holders at Brighton and Hove Albion.

To coincide with the fixture between the two teams, the almost 50-mile walk will take place on December 14.

Russell said that the death of Alex has hit his friendship group really hard, particularly as lockdown meant they could not attend a funeral service.

He said: "Alex was just one of our best friends, he was always around and someone who for me personally, was someone who influenced my life quite a lot.

"We were all very aware that he was suffering with his mental health quite a lot and we were aware that he was often having periods when he was suffering from depression, but I don't think any of us kind of knew quite how bad he had become.

"We haven't been able to have a memorial for him or a funeral, so I think this is going to be our way of drawing a line and saying goodbye to him, I think."

The group hit their initial fundraising target of £5,000 on November 5, on what would have been Alex's 40th birthday.



They have now set a new target of £10,000.

Russell said that while the fundraising is an important element of the walk, he hopes that it will also provide an opportunity to reminisce and remember their friend.



https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/18876092.albion-fans-walk-amex-fulham-memory-friend/

WhiteJC

Report: Everton blow as ace suffers injury on international duty

Everton midfielder Allan has picked up an injury while on international duty for Brazil, as reported by Globe Esporte.

Allan experienced muscular pain during Brazil's match against Venezuela at the weekend, which his side won 1-0.

Allan in World Cup qualifiers
Allan played the full 90 minutes in the World Cup qualifier against Venzuela in Brazil on Saturday. It was only the midfielder's eighth cap for his country.

However, Brazilian coach Tite confirmed there's a "clinical doubt" whether Allan will appear in the next qualifier, at Uruguay tonight.

The 29-year-old was called up to the squad to replace the injured Fabinho, who plays for Merseyside rivals Liverpool.

Toffees man Jean-Philippe Gbamin is already on the sidelines. He ruptured his Achilles tendon in May, adding to a previous nine-month absence.

One Everton fan bemoaned his club's apparent injury curse.

Despite a recent flurry of injuries and suspensions, however, Everton manager Carlo Ancelotti has almost a full squad to choose from for the game against Fulham at Craven Cottage this weekend.

Toffees need a turn-around
Everton began the season in fine form, winning their first four league games and scoring 12 goals in the process.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin has already reached eight goals in the league, while James Rodriguez has provided three assists.

Having played under Carlo Ancelotti at Napoli, Allan has been an impressive addition to the heart of Everton's midfield.

However, since beating Brighton and Hove Albion at Goodison Park on 3 October, Everton have been winless. They have slumped to seventh in the Premier League table.

Some Everton fans remain confident they'll beat Fulham with or without Allan:

Everton face a Fulham side that has already lost six games in the league this season, winning only once.

If Everton want to prove they are genuine contenders for a Champions League spot, they need to beat Fulham comfortably, with or without Allan.



https://www.thefocus.news/football/allan/

WhiteJC

Report: £11m Celtic and Liverpool target transfer-listed; club desperate to sell

Sampdoria are now desperate to sell Omar Colley amid speculation linking the powerhouse defender with Celtic, Liverpool, Fulham and more, as reported by CalcioNews24.

Almost every club in Italy has been hit hard in the pocket by an ongoing financial crisis and Juventus, who are struggling to finance Cristiano Ronaldo's mammoth wages without even a shred of matchday income, are not alone.

"(Sampdoria) wants to sell," Colley's agent, Cheikh Fall, told CalcioNews24 in October, admitting that Sheffield United and Fulham had made an approach for the Gambia international late in the summer window.

With so little time before the transfer deadline, the Blades and the Cottagers could not overcome those work permit problems at the eleventh hour.

But with January just a few weeks away, expect the £11 million-rated Colley to return to the gossip columns before too long.

Especially with cash-strapped Sampdoria desperate to cash in on a man who has been left out of the starting XI for each of their last four Serie A matches.

Sampdoria News have already reported that Colley would be keen on a return to England, where his family used to live, with West Ham United still in the market for a centre-half despite signing Craig Dawson on loan from Watford last month.

Liverpool have also been linked, via SampNews24, and the long-term injuries suffered by Joe Gomez and Virgil van Dijk could present an opportunity for Colley to grab a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity at the 2019 European Champions.

At £11 million, the late-blooming giant represents an affordable addition to a defence lacking experience in reserve.

Interestingly, SampNews24 claimed that Celtic were the only British club to make a serious bid for Colley.

With Shane Duffy's dream move turning into a nightmare as Neil Lennon's struggling side conceded 13 goals in just seven games recently, a commanding central defender could have a transformative impact at Parkhead.

Colley's 6ft 3ins frame could go some way to solving Celtic's set-piece problems too.



https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2020/11/17/report-11m-celtic-and-liverpool-target-transfer-listed-club-desperate-to-sell/


WhiteJC

West Ham and Fulham eyeing up a move for Philadelphia Union star Kai Wagner as Premier League duo look to land promising left back for £3.5m following standout displays in MLS

    West Ham and Fulham are eyeing up a move for Philadelphia Union's Kai Wagner
    The 23-year-old has been on of the MLS's best performers this season
    Wagner, who formerly played with Augsburg and Schalke, is valued at £3.5m

West Ham and Fulham are among the clubs asking about highly-rated Philadelphia Union left back Kai Wagner.

The 23-year-old German has been one of the best performers in the MLS this season and arguably the best left back playing 14 games and scoring once, in Philadelphia's 2-1 win over David Beckham's Inter Miami.

Premier League scouts have been alerted to his displays and reports have been favourable enough on the 6ft full-back for clubs to be weighing up making an offer in January.


West Ham and Fulham are eyeing up a move for Philadelphia Union star Kai Wagner (left)

Wagner, who formerly played with Augsburg and Schalke, is valued around £3.5million which again fits well within the clubs' tight budgets.

West Ham manager David Moyes, who has also teed up a deal for Denmark U21 defender Frederik Ibsen from Silkeborg, has been particularly keen to strengthen his options at left back and could be tempted by Wagner as he continues to impress.

Meanwhile, West Ham have been offered the chance to sign Real Madrid forward Mariano Diaz.

The 27-year-old, who joined from Lyon in 2018 for £21m, is available potentially on an initial loan and was offered around clubs in the summer with Zinedine Zidane willing to let him go.



https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-8957889/West-Ham-Fulham-eyeing-3-5m-Philadelphia-Union-star-Kai-Wagner.html

WhiteJC


I was there when Fulham played in front of a record-low crowd – how times have changed

West London Sport's Paul Warburton, previously sports editor of the Fulham Chronicle, has covered the area's clubs for 25 years. Here he remembers the night he watched Fulham play in front of the smallest-ever league crowd at Craven Cottage.

Like any lowest gate, the game needs context.

It's hard to imagine Fulham 'attracting' a paltry 2,176 paying punters but that was the size of it on January 30, 1996, a 3-1 defeat by Scunthorpe United in the old Division Three, now League Two.

The match that followed also plummeted the cash-strapped Whites to their lowest-ever league position, 91st, and at the time the real threat of non-League football.

The Scunthorpe game was on a Tuesday night. It was misty, dank and cold, and Fulham had been beaten 1-0 in the previous match, at Mansfield.

It was the perfect poisonous cocktail for a tussle in which Mark Blake scored a header to make it 2-1, even though his side looked bereft of ideas for most of the match.

Craven Cottage had terracing on two sides back then; the Putney and Hammersmith Ends, as well as standing in the paddock in front of the Johnny Haynes stand.

There were three of us in the press box; club statistician Keith Evemy, the Press Association reporter and me.

I started to count the fans in the open Putney End at one stage and got interrupted a couple of times by action on the pitch.

Eventually, I got to 170, give or take, and remembering the size of the End as a terrace, they looked as forlorn and isolated as the Fulham attack.

Fulham even got more, 2,479, for a meaningless Associate Members Cup (whatever that was!) tie against Bristol Rovers on January 9.

The half-time refreshments were provided by the indefatigable mother and daughter team of Dawn and Sue, hidden away in what is now a refreshment kiosk under the Haynes Stand.

They would provide a batch of cheese and fruit scones and a cup of tea – and paid for it themselves.

As Dawn pointed out, she started the tradition when that "mean so-and-so" Ernie Clay (a previous controversial chairman) was "too tight" to provide anything for reporters.

That night the three of us could have had six each and still not finish the Tupperware box.

After the game, one had to wait outside the Cottage itself for a player or the manager to interview.

The manager Ian Branfoot was at best grudgingly willing to grunt answers. This time he was all but dismissive.

"What do you expect? The club hasn't got a pot to p*** in!" Not a quote to be used in the Fulham Chronicle, as you might expect.

The next game was at Torquay on the Saturday, who were bottom – and Fulham lost that as well, 2-1.

That was enough for Branfoot and assistant Micky Adams stepped up to the plate.

Adams started to grind out results, and the club eventually finished a reasonable – in the circumstances – 17th.

Torquay finished bottom, one place below Scarborough – and two behind Cardiff City!

Yeah, it seems a long time ago.



https://www.westlondonsport.com/fulham/i-was-there-when-fulham-played-in-front-of-a-record-low-crowd-how-times-have-changed

rogerpbackinMidEastUS

Quote from: whitejc on November 18, 2020, 12:08:57 AM

I was there when Fulham played in front of a record-low crowd – how times have changed

West London Sport's Paul Warburton, previously sports editor of the Fulham Chronicle, has covered the area's clubs for 25 years. Here he remembers the night he watched Fulham play in front of the smallest-ever league crowd at Craven Cottage.

Like any lowest gate, the game needs context.

It's hard to imagine Fulham 'attracting' a paltry 2,176 paying punters but that was the size of it on January 30, 1996, a 3-1 defeat by Scunthorpe United in the old Division Three, now League Two.

The match that followed also plummeted the cash-strapped Whites to their lowest-ever league position, 91st, and at the time the real threat of non-League football.

The Scunthorpe game was on a Tuesday night. It was misty, dank and cold, and Fulham had been beaten 1-0 in the previous match, at Mansfield.

It was the perfect poisonous cocktail for a tussle in which Mark Blake scored a header to make it 2-1, even though his side looked bereft of ideas for most of the match.

Craven Cottage had terracing on two sides back then; the Putney and Hammersmith Ends, as well as standing in the paddock in front of the Johnny Haynes stand.

There were three of us in the press box; club statistician Keith Evemy, the Press Association reporter and me.

I started to count the fans in the open Putney End at one stage and got interrupted a couple of times by action on the pitch.

Eventually, I got to 170, give or take, and remembering the size of the End as a terrace, they looked as forlorn and isolated as the Fulham attack.

Fulham even got more, 2,479, for a meaningless Associate Members Cup (whatever that was!) tie against Bristol Rovers on January 9.

The half-time refreshments were provided by the indefatigable mother and daughter team of Dawn and Sue, hidden away in what is now a refreshment kiosk under the Haynes Stand.

They would provide a batch of cheese and fruit scones and a cup of tea – and paid for it themselves.

As Dawn pointed out, she started the tradition when that "mean so-and-so" Ernie Clay (a previous controversial chairman) was "too tight" to provide anything for reporters.

That night the three of us could have had six each and still not finish the Tupperware box.

After the game, one had to wait outside the Cottage itself for a player or the manager to interview.

The manager Ian Branfoot was at best grudgingly willing to grunt answers. This time he was all but dismissive.

"What do you expect? The club hasn't got a pot to p*** in!" Not a quote to be used in the Fulham Chronicle, as you might expect.

The next game was at Torquay on the Saturday, who were bottom – and Fulham lost that as well, 2-1.

That was enough for Branfoot and assistant Micky Adams stepped up to the plate.

Adams started to grind out results, and the club eventually finished a reasonable – in the circumstances – 17th.

Torquay finished bottom, one place below Scarborough – and two behind Cardiff City!

Yeah, it seems a long time ago.

I remember it well, but not well in a positive sense

https://www.westlondonsport.com/fulham/i-was-there-when-fulham-played-in-front-of-a-record-low-crowd-how-times-have-changed
VERY DAFT AND A LOT DAFTER THAN I SEEM, SOMETIMES


WhiteJC

West Ham United, Fulham eye Kai Wagner move?

West Ham United and Fulham have reportedly identified Philadelphia Union defender Kai Wagner as a potential target.

Although the two clubs enjoyed contrasting summers in the transfer market, the majority of Premier League teams will be eyeing bargains at the start of 2021.

According to the Daily Mail, the London outfits are monitoring the development of Wagner, who has been impressing in the MLS.

The left-back has contributed one goal and eight assists from his 49 outings in the United States, while he has previously featured for Schalke 04's second side.

The report suggests that the 23-year-old may be available in January for a fee in the region of £3.5m.



https://www.sportsmole.co.uk/football/west-ham-united/transfer-talk/news/west-ham-fulham-eye-kai-wagner-move_422644.html

WhiteJC

Early predicted Everton XI to face Fulham on Sunday

Everton face Fulham in their first game back in the Premier League after the international break.

The Toffees will be looking to end their losing run in the competition, which now stretches back three games after such a promising start.

Carlo Ancelotti's side sat top after five games, winning four and one against Liverpool.

Richarlison being unavailable after getting sent off against the Reds has ended up proving costly, and James Rodriguez had been off-colour leading up to the break after sustaining a knock against Liverpool.

But up next is Fulham and internally, Ancelotti will see this as the ideal opposition to face to get things back on track.

The Cottagers have picked up four points in 2020/21, winning one game, drawing one and losing six.

In goal, Jordan Pickford is now under genuine pressure from understudy Robin Olsen, but Ancelotti will probably stick with the ex-Sunderland star between the sticks.

In defence, the Italian could go with Jonjoe Kenny, Mason Holgate, Michael Keane and Lucas Digne.

Seamus Coleman returned to Finch Farm early due to injury so could be lacking fitness and sharpness, and Yerry Mina endured a nightmare for Colombia against Uruguay and Ancelotti may stick with Holgate, 24, as Keane's partner.

Midfield could see changes, with Allan an injury concern after picking up a knock with Brazil.

Ancelotti may therefore go with Abdoulaye Doucoure and Andre Gomes holding and Gylfi Sigurdsson slightly more advanced.

In attack, £90,000-a-week star Richarlison (Spotrac) is available after serving his suspension and will go straight back into the attack, along with James Rodriguez and top scorer Dominic Calvert-Lewin.

Everton have been struggling, but Fulham's porous defence probably makes three points an expectation at Craven Cottage.




https://tbrfootball.com/early-predicted-everton-xi-to-face-fulham-on-sunday/

WhiteJC

Ademola Lookman and the £22.5m 'business' decision that sealed his Everton fate

He burst onto the scene with a debut goal against Manchester City but after making only 14 starts for Everton, Ademola Lookman moved on and is set to face the Blues for the first time since his departure this weekend

Ademola Lookman was already on the radar of key figures in Everton's recruitment department when Damian Matthew was appointed as a club scout in the autumn of 2016.

But Matthew, who would occupy the role of talent spotter in London and the South East for players aged between 17-23, had already seen enough of Lookman from his time as assistant head coach at Charlton, to immediately vouch for this League One talent.

As the Blues weighed up a move for the 19-year-old he would watch the player on a couple of occasions and report back into the club's head of under-23s recruitment, Jamie Hoyland and then into the director of football Steve Walsh.

He was more convinced than ever before.

The decision was made: Everton would try and sign the teenager in the January transfer window.

Fast-forward nearly four years and the Blues are now preparing to face their former player, still only 23, for the first time since he left Goodison.

There is a sense of regret about Lookman's time at Everton, after a £7.5m move in the winter of 2017.

About a player who made only 14 starts and whose potential was never fully tapped into. For some, the parting of ways in July of last year was inevitable. For others, like Marco Silva, it was too soon.

At the time of his £22.5m sale to RB Leipzig, the Blues manager made it clear he did not want to lose Lookman but accepted, that with just less than two years left on the deal he signed, ultimately it became a "business" decision.

Marcel Brands, who had been adamant in the face of bids the previous summer, had now softened his stance. Lookman could go but only for the right price.

As Everton played Wigan Athletic in a pre-season friendly, the player was in Germany to put the finishing touches to the move.

But what if? What if Lookman had stayed and Everton had continued to stand firm and kept him? What if he wasn't facing Everton on Sunday but lining up for the club against Fulham at Craven Cottage?

"He's a real natural talent," Matthew tells the ECHO.

"A great finisher. I watched Charlton play a few times [after joining Everton] and did some reports but Ademola was already on the radar. Steve Walsh, Jamie Hoyland...a lot of people [at Everton] had already seen how good he was.

"Obviously they asked me how talented he was. I was confident in him. He's a top, top young player with that potential. It's about getting the platform for the qualities he's got.

"I didn't speak to Ademola before the move but when he joined I came up to Liverpool and had the chance to have a good chat with him. You could see he was happy and settled."

He would become unsettled, however. And that level of happiness he showed in scoring, four minutes into his top flight debut, against Manchester City would never be reached again.

Ronald Koeman, who stopped short of saying he had little idea about Lookman before he joined, took only a couple of training sessions to appreciate the talent at his disposal.

But he was also ruthless in not using Lookman. He played well in the 6-3 win over Bournemouth but was noticeably told off, early in the second-half, for over-playing in a dangerous area. He kept his place for the trip to Middlesborough but missed two good chances in a 0-0 draw. Koeman played him again in the game with Sunderland but would not start him in another league game thereafter

It was clear that Koeman didn't trust the teenager. Silva believed in Lookman but cited inconsistencies in training as the reason he was only used from the start six times during his tenure.

"I felt for Ademola because he is an out-and-out forward player and he needs to play with a striker," Matthew says.

"But he had to play wide and managers play these systems, which I understand.

"He came in from grassroots football, at 16, and he hasn't had that same football education. The lads he played with would've had four or five years of that development over Ademola.

"And so it is really important that you judge that player on what he is, where he's come from and what he's done so far."

The difficulty for Koeman and Silva was that the pressure to deliver results, having invested significantly in the team, meant a raw Lookman could not be indulged as much as needed.

Koeman would only be in charge for another nine months following Lookman's arrival. Silva lasted 18 months in the job. Had Lookman still been at the club today, would his chances have dramatically improved under Carlo Ancelotti?

"Having continuity would've helped him," Matthew said.

"And that manager would've understood him more and worked with him. It's a crucial part of developing any young player."

"I believed Ademola could play in the Premier League and he could get in the Everton team [even though] the club had spent a lot of money on players who were considered ready for the Premier League," he added.

"He scored that goal on his debut and sometimes with young players if you do well, as he did in that game, the expectation jumps straight away, but the player must be ready for that. You do need experience."

The appointment of Sam Allardyce sparked the beginning of the end for Lookman at Everton.

A year after he'd joined, a loan move was eventually agreed upon but Allardyce wanted him to go to Derby County. Lookman fancied a move to Leipzig. The player would get his wish and after 11 appearances in Bundesliga, five goals and four assists, his heart was set on moving to Germany permanently.

Silva and Brands, who arrived in the summer of 2018, said no. Lookman's performance in the final pre-season game against Valencia screamed of a player deeply unhappy and he was omitted from the squad for the opening game of the campaign at Wolves.

Lookman would be recalled to the squad for the next game but he was largely restricted to appearances from the bench, in what would be in final season at Goodison.

Silva wanted to keep the youngster to try and harness in potential and shape him into a consistent Premier League performer but the winger had other ideas and reiterated his desire to leave, in a meeting in the manager's office at Finch Farm at the end of the season.

"I met with some Leipzig scouts at a Uefa under-17 tournament in the Czech Republic and they showed me the model for the club, which is really positive," recalls Matthew.

"They saw the potential in Ademola that we all see and would pay more money than Everton paid for that. Credit to Everton in that they bought him from Championship level [where he'd played the previous season]."

Matthew's association with Everton ended in January 2018 when he accepted the role of assistant manager at Southend United. He is now an u-18s coach with Punjab FC in India and hopes the lifting of restrictions allows him back out there before the end of the year.

"I left the club with a heavy heart," he said.

You wonder if the same applies to Lookman. There is certainly a sense of regret.



https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/ademola-lookman-225m-business-decision-19292719


WhiteJC

Fulham's crest, modernised


Fulham FC is one of the dozens of clubs who call London their home, and is one of the more successful ones, along with clubs like Chelsea and Arsenal. However, they are London's oldest football club playing professionally.

Fulham FC was founded in 1879. They were originally called "Fulham St Andrew's Church Sunday School FC". Imagine that on a crest.


Fulham FC's original crest was introduced in 1931 and features a black and white illustration of Craven Cottage. In 1973 Fulham FC's crest was much more simplified, featuring just the letters "FFC".

Sadly, that crest lasted just 4 years. The current crest was introduced in 2004 and features the letters "FFC" on a very simple black and white shield, reflecting the club's colours.


When I started my project the 2019/2020 season was going on, and I was really excited to redesign Fulham's crest until I realized they weren't playing the Premier League. That is why I was very happy to know they got promoted to the first division the following season.

The current crest is very simple and modern, it was very easy for me to know what I need to do for this crest. I used a simple grid to recreate the FFC using just rectangles. It looks much more abstract and less obvious this way. To match the sharpness of the inner letters I shaped the shield in a much more angular way.

The end result is a much sharper, much more commanding crest. It almost looks like a military badge to me and has easily become one of my favourites from this project.

Being part of and playing in such a competitive city hasn't fazed Fulham FC one bit, they just climbed back to the Premier League and are now trying to cement their place. This new crest could be part of them telling their rivals that a new era might be coming soon in Fulham FC's history.


This article is part of the Premier League 2020 Crests series.

Shadab Wajih is an award-winning art director, graphic designer and an illustrator based in Miami, US. Besides his design and advertising work he also prides himself in his FIFA managerial skills. You can see more of his work, contact or complain to him on his Instagram: @snikt13




https://sportslens.com/fulhams-crest-modernised/318647/

bobbo

Quote from: whitejc on November 18, 2020, 12:02:42 AM
Albion fans to walk from Amex to Fulham in memory of friend



A GROUP of friends will walk from Falmer to Fulham to fundraise for a mental health charity in memory of their friend.

Alex Broadley, 39, from Worthing, took his own life on June 26 after suffering with depression.

His friend, Russell Booty, alongside 15 of Alex's family and friends, will walk from the Amex Stadium in Falmer, Brighton to Fulham FC's home ground, Craven Cottage, to pay tribute and raise money for Calm.

Alex was a huge Fulham fan, while many of his friends are season ticket holders at Brighton and Hove Albion.

To coincide with the fixture between the two teams, the almost 50-mile walk will take place on December 14.

Russell said that the death of Alex has hit his friendship group really hard, particularly as lockdown meant they could not attend a funeral service.

He said: "Alex was just one of our best friends, he was always around and someone who for me personally, was someone who influenced my life quite a lot.

"We were all very aware that he was suffering with his mental health quite a lot and we were aware that he was often having periods when he was suffering from depression, but I don't think any of us kind of knew quite how bad he had become.

"We haven't been able to have a memorial for him or a funeral, so I think this is going to be our way of drawing a line and saying goodbye to him, I think."

The group hit their initial fundraising target of £5,000 on November 5, on what would have been Alex's 40th birthday.



They have now set a new target of £10,000.

Russell said that while the fundraising is an important element of the walk, he hopes that it will also provide an opportunity to reminisce and remember their friend.



https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/18876092.albion-fans-walk-amex-fulham-memory-friend/
i think they should let them in for the game . It's a bit special after all. They could space out.
1975 just leaving home full of hope

Jim©

Quote from: whitejc on November 18, 2020, 12:08:57 AM

I was there when Fulham played in front of a record-low crowd – how times have changed

West London Sport's Paul Warburton, previously sports editor of the Fulham Chronicle, has covered the area's clubs for 25 years. Here he remembers the night he watched Fulham play in front of the smallest-ever league crowd at Craven Cottage.

Like any lowest gate, the game needs context.

It's hard to imagine Fulham 'attracting' a paltry 2,176 paying punters but that was the size of it on January 30, 1996, a 3-1 defeat by Scunthorpe United in the old Division Three, now League Two.

The match that followed also plummeted the cash-strapped Whites to their lowest-ever league position, 91st, and at the time the real threat of non-League football.

The Scunthorpe game was on a Tuesday night. It was misty, dank and cold, and Fulham had been beaten 1-0 in the previous match, at Mansfield.

It was the perfect poisonous cocktail for a tussle in which Mark Blake scored a header to make it 2-1, even though his side looked bereft of ideas for most of the match.

Craven Cottage had terracing on two sides back then; the Putney and Hammersmith Ends, as well as standing in the paddock in front of the Johnny Haynes stand.

There were three of us in the press box; club statistician Keith Evemy, the Press Association reporter and me.

I started to count the fans in the open Putney End at one stage and got interrupted a couple of times by action on the pitch.

Eventually, I got to 170, give or take, and remembering the size of the End as a terrace, they looked as forlorn and isolated as the Fulham attack.

Fulham even got more, 2,479, for a meaningless Associate Members Cup (whatever that was!) tie against Bristol Rovers on January 9.

The half-time refreshments were provided by the indefatigable mother and daughter team of Dawn and Sue, hidden away in what is now a refreshment kiosk under the Haynes Stand.

They would provide a batch of cheese and fruit scones and a cup of tea – and paid for it themselves.

As Dawn pointed out, she started the tradition when that "mean so-and-so" Ernie Clay (a previous controversial chairman) was "too tight" to provide anything for reporters.

That night the three of us could have had six each and still not finish the Tupperware box.

After the game, one had to wait outside the Cottage itself for a player or the manager to interview.

The manager Ian Branfoot was at best grudgingly willing to grunt answers. This time he was all but dismissive.

"What do you expect? The club hasn't got a pot to p*** in!" Not a quote to be used in the Fulham Chronicle, as you might expect.

The next game was at Torquay on the Saturday, who were bottom – and Fulham lost that as well, 2-1.

That was enough for Branfoot and assistant Micky Adams stepped up to the plate.

Adams started to grind out results, and the club eventually finished a reasonable – in the circumstances – 17th.

Torquay finished bottom, one place below Scarborough – and two behind Cardiff City!

Yeah, it seems a long time ago.



https://www.westlondonsport.com/fulham/i-was-there-when-fulham-played-in-front-of-a-record-low-crowd-how-times-have-changed

I was there for the lowest home attendance to any first team game ever - Brighton at home, Autoglass, Sep 1993. It was about 1,000 fans. Shocking.


mrmicawbers

Quote from: whitejc on November 18, 2020, 09:11:13 AM
Fulham's crest, modernised


Fulham FC is one of the dozens of clubs who call London their home, and is one of the more successful ones, along with clubs like Chelsea and Arsenal. However, they are London's oldest football club playing professionally.

Fulham FC was founded in 1879. They were originally called "Fulham St Andrew's Church Sunday School FC". Imagine that on a crest.


Fulham FC's original crest was introduced in 1931 and features a black and white illustration of Craven Cottage. In 1973 Fulham FC's crest was much more simplified, featuring just the letters "FFC".

Sadly, that crest lasted just 4 years. The current crest was introduced in 2004 and features the letters "FFC" on a very simple black and white shield, reflecting the club's colours.


When I started my project the 2019/2020 season was going on, and I was really excited to redesign Fulham's crest until I realized they weren't playing the Premier League. That is why I was very happy to know they got promoted to the first division the following season.

The current crest is very simple and modern, it was very easy for me to know what I need to do for this crest. I used a simple grid to recreate the FFC using just rectangles. It looks much more abstract and less obvious this way. To match the sharpness of the inner letters I shaped the shield in a much more angular way.

The end result is a much sharper, much more commanding crest. It almost looks like a military badge to me and has easily become one of my favourites from this project.

Being part of and playing in such a competitive city hasn't fazed Fulham FC one bit, they just climbed back to the Premier League and are now trying to cement their place. This new crest could be part of them telling their rivals that a new era might be coming soon in Fulham FC's history.


This article is part of the Premier League 2020 Crests series.

Shadab Wajih is an award-winning art director, graphic designer and an illustrator based in Miami, US. Besides his design and advertising work he also prides himself in his FIFA managerial skills. You can see more of his work, contact or complain to him on his Instagram: @snikt13




https://sportslens.com/fulhams-crest-modernised/318647/
That Shield could do someone damage probably the wearer.So basically not a shield.The artworks not for me either.

Woolly Mammoth

Or me either, must have taken the best part of 5 minutes to design it by an individual who has probably never kicked a football in anger.
Its not the man in the fight, it's the fight in the man.  🐘

Never forget your Roots.

filham

Sorry, but to my eyes that change in Logo does nothing except make it more difficult to identify.


Stoneleigh Loyalist

Agree with above comments. May look more modern but very difficult to recognise that it says FFC .
Would look better on an Army uniform!

Fulham 442

The reimagined crest is hideous as far as I am concerned.  Like most Fulham fans I think there is nothing wrong with our current badge.  If it ain't broke don't fix it.  No point in tinkering for the sake of it.

Andy S

I agree with the comments that there is nothing wrong with  our existing badge which is instantly recognisable. The new design is hideous and says nothing


mrmicawbers

Quote from: Stoneleigh Loyalist on November 18, 2020, 11:18:43 AM
Agree with above comments. May look more modern but very difficult to recognise that it says FFC .
Would look better on an Army uniform!
Yes somewhere far in the future some sci fi film where the Germans won the war.

WindyCity

That new crest design is TERRIBLE, just God Awful!!!!!