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Wednesday Fulham Stuff - 28/04/21...

Started by WhiteJC, April 28, 2021, 08:52:51 AM

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WhiteJC


WhiteJC

Premier League TV rights: Talks held over scrapping next auction

The Premier League has held talks with broadcasters about scrapping its next domestic media rights auction.

The government is now considering whether to approve a rollover of the current £4.7bn deal.

Secured in 2018, that sale represented a 10% drop in value.

Clubs are concerned there could be another fall if the usual open-market auction begins as planned next month for the three-year cycle between 2022 and 2025.

The value of rights for domestic leagues in Europe also appears to have peaked.

Talks have been held with the existing live rights holders Sky, BT and Amazon about extending their current deals on similar terms.

Neither they, nor the Premier League, have commented.

But a rollover is now being considered on the basis it would provide all parties with stability amid uncertainties - and the loss of matchday revenue - caused by the pandemic.

However, rival broadcasters may object to being denied the right to bid, and such a move would require government approval, given concerns over competition law.

Amid continuing anger within football at the failed recent attempt by the so-called 'big six' Premier League clubs to launch a European Super League, and a fan-led review of the sport, ministers are understood to want assurances about the redistribution of money throughout the game, if they allow a private sale of media rights.

For almost 30 years, the huge increase in the value of its broadcast rights has driven the transfer fees and player wages that have made the Premier League so popular. But the league has come under mounting pressure from the Football League to redistribute more of its media revenue throughout the pyramid.

Last year the Premier League ditched a controversial pay-per-view system for matches amid a fan backlash, reinforcing concerns over viewers' appetite for more live action.



https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/56911973

WhiteJC

Spurs urged to appoint talented 40-year-old who could help club return to Pochettino levels

Tottenham Hotspur have been urged by Michael Dawson to appoint Scott Parker as their new permanent manager.

Spurs parted ways with Jose Mourinho last week and handed the reins to Ryan Mason on an interim basis until the end of the season.

Mourinho replaced Mauricio Pochettino at Spurs in November 2019, leading the north Londoners to a sixth-placed finish in his debut season in charge.

However, Tottenham struggled under the Portuguese this season, sitting five points adrift of the Champions League places at the time of his departure.

Spurs also suffered an embarrassing Europa League exit to Dinamo Zagreb in March and conceded five goals as they were knocked out of the FA Cup at the hands of Everton in the fifth round.

Former Spurs ace Dawson says Spurs need to go back to a long-term manager with a five-year plan, and thinks Parker would be a good – and realistic – shout.

"I believe they need a project, they need a plan, and they had that with Mauricio Pochettino – for the long distance, you can't just go 'right, we want to win a trophy'," Dawson told talkSPORT.

"When they sacked Mauricio you thought 'right, we'll bring Jose Mourinho in, he's going to win a trophy', and I was one of the first to say that, he's a serial winner, whatever trophy it'll be he can win it.

"But I think, now they've sacked Jose, whether it was right or wrong a week before the cup final that's to be discussed... Brendan Rodgers, I'd love to see him there, but I think you do an incredible job at Leicester, why would they let him go?

"So I think right, you look at Scott Parker at Fulham – yes, it looks like they're going to get relegated, but he played there as a player, he was there as a coach, he did all his work there.

"I just think look, get a younger manager with the backing of the owners and say 'right, we have a plan, we have a five-year plan, can we get to where I believe we were under Pochettino?'

"(Spurs) have gone back in that time and they've got to rebuild again and try get in the Champions League, because you look at the top four teams now and it looks like a real big ask for Spurs in getting there."

TBR View:

Tottenham had something great going on under Pochettino, and while the Mourinho experiment potentially seemed like a good idea at the time – the jump from ambitious side to trophy winners – it's not gone to plan and Spurs have regressed.

The thing with Parker is, being a former Spurs player could certainly help the cause, but maybe the 40-year-old is a tad inexperienced at this moment in time, not to mention his current club is battling – and look likely to succumb to – relegation.

Wouldn't Erik ten Hag made more sense given he's managing a table-topping side that's regularly competing in the Champions League?



https://tbrfootball.com/spurs-urged-to-appoint-talented-40-year-old-who-could-help-club-return-to-pochettino-levels/


WhiteJC

Ruben Loftus-Cheek has been a colossal failure
Mike Forrest looks at RLC's season to find out how it's gone so wrong for our Chelsea loanee.


Our transfer strategy and signings over the years have been discussed to death. Our hodge-podge approach in the market has seen some hits, but also many failures – perhaps the biggest of whom, on the pitch at least, is Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

Misplaced excitment
Signed on deadline day from Chelsea, he was heralded by our excitable director of football as a "world-class" player. But our DoF, a hype man for his own signings, would have been wise in retrospect to restrain from bringing out the big superlatives for RLC.

After all, Loftus-Cheek had just missed an entire year of football after sustaining an achilles injury in a friendly match. Despite being constantly heralded as one of the top talents in English football from a young age he had never really cracked it at Chelsea, despite his reputation. A promising spell at Crystal Palace preceded the zenith of his career when he made 40 appearances for Chelsea in the 2018-19 season.

Fast forward to the 2020-21 season, and after an abysmal display against Brighton for Chelsea, he signed for us on deadline day. Chelsea manager at the time, Frank Lampard, was giving plenty of game time to academy products, so it was a surprise that he was happy to dispense with Loftus-Cheek for the season.

Failure to deliver
RLC signed for the Whites, indicating how pleased he was to secure a loan move close to home. It would prove to be one of the few positives of the deal. He has failed to deliver any meaningful contribution on the pitch despite consistent game time. A goal against Everton, aided by a massive deflection, has been his sole offensive contribution.

To be clear; it's not solely down to Loftus-Cheek that we're facing relegation. But he hasn't helped; he's been the "nearly man" on a number of occasions. At home against Brighton he drove through their defence only to hit the ball tamely down the centre of the goal proving an easy save for their keeper. Against West Ham at home, the ball fell for him at the edge of the box and he skewed wide. Away against Brighton, his effort was cleared off the line. A chance away to Tottenham was also missed. These are few examples of the moments that have passed him by. His at-times pedestrian nature in games is a flaw Parker pointed out early on in the season, but has done little to try to correct.

RLC's lack of contribution could be down to playing under a manager that has failed to get us firing. Only Sheffield United have scored fewer goals than us this season. However, Loftus-Cheek has almost been guaranteed a starting spot every game and in one of the most offensive positions in our set-up. So even with his playing time he has contributed precious little. Bobby De Cordova-Reid has scored four more goals with a similar amount of playing time.

Prior to the start of the season, our director of football scoffed at the rumour of re-signing Ryan Sessegnon on loan saying "we're not in the business of developing other clubs' players". He's proven true to his word, as Loftus-Cheek hasn't developed at all, despite Scott Parker's constant praise and game time.

Over and out
Loftus-Cheek will be prohibited from playing against parent club Chelsea this coming weekend, and what a welcome relief it will be. With relegation nearly confirmed, it's time that the likes of Josh Onomah gets some precious minutes under his belt before next season's campaign.

As for RLC, it is doubtful his performances will have convinced Thomas Tuchel that he's deserving of even a squad number at Chelsea next season. The prize for a successful loan spell with us should have been regaining a spot with Chelsea next season, and perhaps even forcing himself into the England squad for the Euros. But his performances have not given Gareth Southgate even a morsel of food for thought. An expensive move to mid-table Crystal Palace or Aston Villa will no doubt be in the offing.

It's perhaps not fair to judge Loftus-Cheek for his lack of goals or assists. In 105 Premier League appearances, he only has 10 goals and six assists. Also coming from the official Premier League website, he has only ever created nine big chances and has also missed 11 big chances from those 105 appearances. Politely put, he just was not the answer for a team that needed creativity and goals. And yet he was brought in and played in offensive positions all season. I'll leave you to decide where the blame lies for that.

Best of luck to him in the future.



https://www.fulhamish.co.uk/post/2021-04-27-ruben-loftus-cheek-has-been-a-colossal-failure/

WhiteJC

Cole's Premier League Hall of Fame Nomination


Former Fulham striker Andrew Cole has been nominated for a place in the Premier League's recently established Hall of Fame.

Launched this week, the inaugural inductees to the Hall of Fame were Alan Shearer and Thierry Henry, and now fans can vote for six players to join them, from a 23 man shortlist.

Cole still sits third in the all-time Premier League scoring charts, with his 187 goals bettered only by Shearer and Wayne Rooney.

The majority of his strikes were for Newcastle United and Manchester United, but the poacher also enjoyed a productive top flight season at Craven Cottage in 2004/05.

Cole netted 12 Premier League goals for Chris Coleman's side during his 31 appearances, in which he often wore the Captain's armband.

The six players with the most votes from the public and the Premier League panel will be inducted into the Hall of Fame, with voting open until Sunday 9th May.

Vote now



https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2021/april/Cole-s-Premier-League-Hall-of-Fame-Nomination/

WhiteJC

Scott Parker thinks £15m West Ham target is 'exceptional' amid reports Moyes is keen

According to the Express, West Ham are interested in signing Alphonse Areola from Paris Saint-Germain, after his excellent displays for Fulham.

The 3-cap France international joined the Cottagers on a season-long loan deal back in September, and is rated at £15 million by PSG.

Interestingly, Fulham also have an option to make the deal permanent.

That would usually mean West Ham face an uphill battle to sign the £75,000-a-week man.

However, the Express claim that Areola will wait and see what division Fulham are in before making a decision on his future.

With the Cottagers seven points from safety after 33 games, there's a good chance they go down, which boosts West Ham's hopes of signing Areola.

One man who left his mark in east London is Scott Parker, who currently manages Fulham.

Parker won three consecutive Hammer of the Year awards, and also the FWA Player of the Year award despite West Ham finishing 20th in 2011.

As quoted by Football London, the 40-year-old called Areola an 'exceptional' goalkeeper back in November, after declaring him as his No.1 glovesman.

Seeing as Łukasz Fabiański is now 36, a new shot-stopper should definitely be on West Ham's shopping list.

Areola has Champions League experience with Real Madrid and PSG, and would be a fine signing for the Irons.



https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2021/04/27/scott-parker-thinks-15m-west-ham-target-is-exceptional-amid-reports-moyes-is-keen/


Bill2

Quote from: whitejc on April 28, 2021, 09:01:00 AM
Cole's Premier League Hall of Fame Nomination


Former Fulham striker Andrew Cole has been nominated for a place in the Premier League's recently established Hall of Fame.

Launched this week, the inaugural inductees to the Hall of Fame were Alan Shearer and Thierry Henry, and now fans can vote for six players to join them, from a 23 man shortlist.

Cole still sits third in the all-time Premier League scoring charts, with his 187 goals bettered only by Shearer and Wayne Rooney.

The majority of his strikes were for Newcastle United and Manchester United, but the poacher also enjoyed a productive top flight season at Craven Cottage in 2004/05.

Cole netted 12 Premier League goals for Chris Coleman's side during his 31 appearances, in which he often wore the Captain's armband.

The six players with the most votes from the public and the Premier League panel will be inducted into the Hall of Fame, with voting open until Sunday 9th May.

Vote now



https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2021/april/Cole-s-Premier-League-Hall-of-Fame-Nomination/
Never forget the almighty punch up he had in the middle of the pitch at CC, forgot who it was with but it was really intense.

blingo

Neil Clemment and it was against West Brom

MikeTheCubed

Quote from: Bill2 on April 28, 2021, 03:18:52 PM
Never forget the almighty punch up he had in the middle of the pitch at CC, forgot who it was with but it was really intense.

Hawthorns you mean  :dft011:.