Wednesday Fulham Stuff - 13/09/23...

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Crystal Palace (A) Sold Out

Tickets for Fulham's trip to Selhurst Park to take on Crystal Palace on Saturday 23rd September have now sold out. Thank you for your fantastic support!

A limited number of wheelchair spaces still remain available, to book please contact the Ticket Office on 0203 871 0810.

Should the Club receive any ticket returns, please register your interest below to join our waiting list for this fixture:



https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2023/september/12/crystal-palace-a-sold-out/

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On-loan Wigan Athletic man nominated for performance award
On-loan Wigan Athletic winger Martial Godo has been nominated for the Premier League 2 player of the month award for August.

The 20 year-old, who joined Latics from Fulham just hours before the transfer deadline, scored five goals in three games for the Cottagers' Under-21s.

After scoring twice - including a stoppage-time winner - in the opening win at Wolves, his deciding goal then defeated defending champions Manchester City.


Martial Godo has been shortlisted for the PL2 player of the month award

Another double helped to beat Crystal Palace, before Fulham decided the time was right to send him out on loan for EFL action.

Before moving to Latics, Godo signed a new contract extension at Craven Cottage.

He was named in the squad for last weekend's League One trip to Blackpol, although he was an unused substitute.

Yago Alonso, Jamie Donley (both Tottenham), Dominic Ballard (Southampton), Mark O'Mahoney (Brighton and Hove Albion), Sam Paul, Jayden Wareham (both Reading) and Ronnie Stutter (Chelsea).



https://www.wigantoday.net/sport/football/on-loan-wigan-athletic-man-nominated-for-performance-award-4289207

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Referee announced for Luton Town's Premier League trip to Fulham
Michael Salisbury with the whistle at Craven Cottage

Luton Town's trip to Fulham on Saturday will be refereed by Michael Salisbury after the Premier League announced their officials for Matchweek Five this morning.

The Lancashire referee has officiated two matches so far this season, Aston Villa's 3-1 win at Burnley in the top flight and Stoke City's 6-1 thumping of Rotherham in the Carabao Cup.

Last season, Salisbury took 31 games in all competitions, showing 110 yellows and four reds, with two dismissals and eight bookings during Leeds' 4-2 victory at Wolves back in March.

This will be his first Luton game since the Hatters drew 0-0 against Reading at Kenilworth Road in the Championship back in April 2021.

He also took two more matches that term, Town hitting back from 2-0 down to beat Sheffield Wednesday 3-2 and the 3-0 home defeat to Brentford.

Salisbury also had the Hatters three times in the 2018-19 season when Luton were in League One, Town triumphing over Oxford United home and away, while also seeing off Bradford City 1-0 at Valley Parade.

He officiated Luton twice the year before, a 1-0 League Two victory at Grimsby, sending off Jordan Cook in the first half and a 2-0 success over Barnet.

The referee also had the 0-0 draw with Notts County in October 2016, giving the hosts a stoppage time penalty which was saved by Christian Walton.

Salisbury started out in 2015-16 in the National League, promoted to League Two the following year, as his first top flight game was Aston Villa's 2-1 win at Crystal Palace in November 2021.

Since then he has had 19 Premier League games in total, showing 84 yellows and three reds.

Assistants for the game are Richard West and Derek Eaton, with the fourth official Josh Smith.

VAR official is David Coote, with his assistant Timothy Wood.



https://www.lutontoday.co.uk/sport/football/luton-town/referee-announced-for-luton-towns-premier-league-trip-to-fulham-4289248

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How Richard Osman became iconic famous Fulham fan as he prepares fourth Thursday Murder Club release
It's an important week for Richard Osman as Fulham return to Premier League action - he's also releasing the fourth instalment of the Thursday Murder Club.

Prolific TV host turned best-selling author Richard Osman is a man in demand this week as he prepares to release the fourth instalment of his hit detective series the Thursday Murder Club.

Osman's famous gang of crime-solving pensioners return in The Last Devil to Die, which hits bookshelves on Thursday, September 14. The former Pointless host has cultivated a hit series likened to the success of Harry Potter with over five million copies sold so far and more than £25 million made by the Thursday Murder Club series.

Steven Spielberg is working on a film version of the tale, Osman has been snapped up to write for Netflix and is already working on a new series thanks to a Penguin publishing deal believed to be worth an impressive £10 million - not bad for a humble Fulham fan.

When not quizzing contestants on television or promoting his novels, Osman is often outspoken about his love for the West London football club and has become one of the most famous faces to support the Cottagers in recent years.

The 52-year-old was, and is still believed to be, a long-term season ticket holder at Craven Cottage and has followed the side through highs and lows.

Osman is most actively sharing his Fulham-related thoughts on X, formerly Twitter. In 2021, when his Thursday Murder Club books topped both the paperback and hardback charts, the author joked that it "might be the closest Fulham will ever come to doing the Double". He's also been known to ask for score updates while at book signings and has had fans turn up at shows and events sporting the famous white kit.

Earlier this month, Osman vented his frustrations about the club's action in the transfer market, comparing the current situation to one a decade ago. He said: "Fulham fans, it's beginning to feel uncomfortably like the transfer window when we lost Dempsey and Dembele and everything fell apart. Absolutely gutting."

Later that day, the Fulham fan did find cause for celebration in Joao Palhinha ending up staying at the club, which he branded "some zen-level brinksmanship from Fulham after a scary day".

Osman's love for Fulham is a family affair too. When the celebrity went to catch Barbie at the cinema this summer, he shared a snap of his wife Ingrid Oliver sporting a pink Fulham training top to get into the spirit. "Proud of Ingrid for representing," he joked.

The Thursday Murder Club writer is much more than a social media fan too. In 2016, Osman splashed out on a George Cohen Statue name plaque and promised it to one worthy supporter as an act of kindness.

The author eventually chose Bob Williams, a late Fulham supporter who passed away from prostate cancer. At the time, Bob's daughter Rebecca said: "Thank you so very much Richard Osman and everyone who made this possible, me and my family are absolutely thrilled and eternally grateful to you. Dad was a lifelong Fulham fan and even though he moved to the North East there was never any chance that he would allow us to support anyone else!

"It was devastating for us when we lost him to prostate cancer last year, but the support we received from the Fulham family has been amazing. We know there are many other fans like us, wishing a much-missed loved one was still sitting beside them at matches and we hope that Dad's name can represent all those people. We are overwhelmed to think that, in some way, Dad will now always be at his beloved Craven Cottage."

Osman has also worked with the club and broadcasters to film light-hearted segments with players over the years. In 2018, he put Tom Cairney, Marcus Bettinelli, Aleksandar Mitrovic and Joe Bryan to a Pointless-style quiz and recorded a 'fake news of facts' segment with the BBC for fellow Cottager fans.

So, in a big week for Richard Osman with The Last Devil to Die hitting bookshelves on Thursday, celebrations of his latest achievement may well be on hold until Marco Silva's Fulham side bag three points against Luton Town on Saturday.



https://www.londonworld.com/sport/football/fulham/how-richard-osman-became-iconic-famous-fulham-fan-as-he-prepares-fourth-thursday-murder-club-release-4290960

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Premier League VAR officials that allowed Nathan Ake's goal against Fulham to stand will NOT officiate matches this weekend after Howard Webb admits mistake

    The goal stood despite Manuel Akanji standing in an offside position for the goal
    PGMOL chief Howard Webb said the call should have been 'clear' on new show

The two VARs who failed to disallow Manchester City's goal against Fulham for offside will not be in action at Stockley Park this weekend.

VAR Tony Harrington and assistant VAR Adam Nunn were deemed at fault when City took their 2-1 lead through Nathan Ake, despite Manuel Akanji standing in an offside position and interfering with play as he was in front of Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno.

Referee Michael Oliver allowed the goal to stand and that was not challenged by his colleagues, but Howard Webb, speaking on Match Officials Mic'd Up, admitted that was a mistake.

'We think it's a clear situation of offside,' Webb said on the PGMOL's new monthly show. 'Unfortunately it wasn't identified on the day and, of course, the learning from this one will also be shared amongst all of our group because we're always looking to do better each and every week, and this was an error.'

City went on to win 5-1, leaving Fulham furious with the decision.


The two VAR officials that allowed Nathan Ake's goal against Fulham to stand have been stood down for this weekend's Premier League games
 
 
VAR Tony Harrington (left) and assistant VAR Adam Nunn (right) were deemed at fault for the goal standing
 

PGMOL chief Howard Webb admitted on Match Officials Mic'd Up that the goal should not have stood

Harrington will not play a significant role in this weekend's Premier League fixtures as he is reduced to fourth official in Newcastle versus Brentford.

Nunn has not been given an appointment in the top flight.

Harrington will, however, act as referee for the Championship clash between Hull and Coventry with Nunn as one of his assistants.

Oliver will oversee Wolves against Liverpool with Paul Tierney as his VAR.



https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-12509383/Premier-League-VAR-Nathan-Ake-goal-NOT-officiate-matches-weekend.html

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Sheffield United Tickets

Tickets for Fulham's fixture against Sheffield United go on sale from 10am on Wednesday 13th September.

Join us at Craven Cottage for Premier League action as Fulham take on the Blades on Saturday 7th October, kick-off 3pm.

Following Wednesday's Members' on sale date, tickets will then go on sale to 2023/24 Season Ticket Holders from 10am on Friday 15th September, and to Supporters with a previous Booking History from 10am on Monday 18th September. Remaining tickets will then go on General Sale from 10am on Tuesday 19th September.

Supporters can secure their seat from Tuesday online at tickets.fulhamfc.com and from the Fulham FC Ticket Office in person or by phone on 0203 871 0810 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm).

More information regarding on sale dates and pricing for this fixture can be found here.

BUY TICKETS FROM 10AM WEDNESDAY



https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2023/september/12/sheffield-united-tickets/

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Wales survive late Lithuania scare as Fulham, Oxford, and Swansea City men on target
Wales kept up their unbeaten start to their UEFA U21 qualifying campaign, with a 3-2 win away in Lithuania.

Goals from Luke Harris, Fin Stevens, and Joel Cotterill seemed to put Wales in a comfortable position, but two goals in stoppage time for Lithuania made it an incredibly nervy finish, but the youngsters held on to record their first win of the qualification campaign.

In their friendly against Liechtenstein on Friday, the Welsh backline were hardly tested, but from the off, Lithuania offered a different challenge. Armandas Kućys' pace looked like it could be a problem, but the Welsh defence led by captain Ed Turns maneuvered themselves well to stop him from creating problems.

Up the other end of the pitch, Wales looked threatening, especially down the wings through Owen Beck and Fin Stevens, but they couldn't create any real chance of note.

That was until just after the half-hour mark when Wales struck to go ahead. Pat Jones raced into the box, only to have his effort saved. But the ball was only pushed out as far as Luke Harris, who fired the ball into the roof of the net.

Lithuania did push for a goal before the end of the first half. Motiejus Burba's free-kick was saved magnificently by Ed Beach, while Kućys' goal was ruled out for offside, and Wales went into the break ahead.

As soon as the second half got underway, Wales doubled their lead. Rubin Colwill raced down the wing and popped a fizzing ball into the box, where Fin Stevens was able to fire his effort home.

Lithuania really couldn't create any chance of note in the second half, while Wales were controlling possession and spraying the ball all over the pitch. Josh Thomas was the next to go close for Matty Jones' team, but the keeper made an excellent fingertip save.

But there was nothing the keeper could do seven minutes from time as Wales added a third. Substitute Joel Cotterill drove with the ball before curling a sumptuous strike into the bottom corner from 30-yards out.

For all the good work Wales had done, it almost all came undone in stoppage time, as Wales seemed to crumble. Faustas Steponavićius cut in from the byline and finessed a ball through numerous bodies into the bottom corner before Kristupas Keršys produced a stunning backheel from a corner to really make Wales sweat.

Luckily, the referee blew time on the contest before Lithuania could find a miraculous third goal, meaning Wales moved to the top of Group I.

Player of the Match: Fin Stevens
The current Oxford United man was in good form during this game. His tireless work up the wing really helped to push Wales to victory, and his goal was thoroughly deserved. There are a good couple of wing-backs who are pushing to start in this U21 team, but Stevens is right at the top of the list of starters.

Wales
Ed Beach (GK), Owen Beck, Ed Turns ©, Joe Low, Luca Hoole, Fin Stevens, Eli King, Charlie Savage (Charlie Crew 88'), Luke Harris, Rubin Colwill (Joel Cotterill 80'), Pat Jones (Josh Thomas 68')

Unused Subs: Ben Hughes, Owen Bevan, Cameron Congreve, Harry Leeson, Joel Colwill, Cian Ashford

Goals: Luke Harris (34'), Fin Stevens (46'), Joel Cotterill (82')

Yellows: Owen Beck (24'), Joe Low (61'), Ed Turns (73'), Fin Stevens (81')



https://clwbpeldroed.org/2023/09/12/wales-lithuania-harris-stevens-cotterill/

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New Fulham boy Castagne and Chelsea flop Lukaku shine as Belgium trash Estonia 5-0. And Trossard...
Exclusive from King Boudewijn Stadium in Brussels

Belgium 5-0 Estonia (Vertonghen, Trossard, Lukaku, Lukaku, De Ketelaere)

Journalist Alessandro Schiavone has analysed the performances of four players with London links, past and present, at King Boudewijn Stadium in Brussels

Jan Vertonghen (ex Tottenham Hotspur): At King Boudewijn Stadium on Tuesday night, Belgium began brightly, having plenty if not all of the ball from the off. Everyone, even the most optimistic Estonia supporter, knew that in this fixture goals were never going to come at a premium. Needless to say the two countries' nine-point gap in the table warned us of the unfolding narrative as stats do tell the whole story sometimes. This game was only ever going to go one way and Belgium let their technical, tactical and athletic supremacy loose on Estonia, who only had one point on board before travelling to Brussels. Predictably the the East Europeans' post- mortem was running early on. Very early as less four minutes into the game Tottenham Hotspur legend Jan Vertonghen headed his country in front, pouncing on goalkeeper Karl Hein's hesitancy from a corner. On his 150th cap for his country, Belgium's all-time most capped player got his goal. Not many can say that about themselves. And while the only-one-year younger Vincent Kompany has been retired for three years now and partner in crime Toby Alderweireld called it a day after the disastrous World Cup in Qatar, Vertonghen is still going strong and defying time. A living legend.

Romelu Lukaku (On loan at Roma from Chelsea): Despite missing a number of chances in the... warm-up, AS Roma's loanee from Chelsea was always going to add to his 75-goal haul against a footballing nation ranked 111th   in the game. That's 22 places BEHIND Luxembourg who were trashed 9-0 against Portugal yesterday. And in the first period, he did nothing to silence his English critics when he fired a lame effort straight at the goalkeeper with his weaker right foot. Yet his ability with his back to goal and ability to hold off the ball made life easier for the advancing wingers who had a lot of freedom to run riot around him. And the man who was dragged through the mud in England, impressively laid the groundwork for Arsenal winger Trossard's stunning strike. He then went on to win a free-kick from the edge of the box after cutting inside and leaving Estonia's rear-guard in no man's land with a flurry of stepovers. The missed chance count kept on soaring when the goalkeeper beat away his potent strike after the restart. But goals are no Nutella but...Ketchup. And so Mangala's quick thinking sent him racing clear before he rolled his shot in the bottom far corner to make it 3-0 for Belgium and 76 for him on a personal level. His mental resilience and never-say-die attitude helped him to a quickfire brace. And after collecting a precise pass by Theate again with his back to goal, he swivelled before placing a curler where the goalkeeper could never get to. On 77 goals it will be hard for anyone to ever catch him. The second most prolific scorer Eden Hazard, bowed out on 33...

Leandro Trossard (Arsenal): The Gunner looked the real deal and meant business in the opening half. Operating behind Lukaku in head coach Tedesco's 4-2-3-1, he was as good as anyone. Yet judging his performance by his unstoppable missile into the top corner after excellent footwork in the build-up would be reductive. Credit to him, the Estonia defenders lacked the ingredients to deal with his pace, movements and tight-space skills. On a number of occasions, Trossard cut through Estonia via central areas, ran circles around whoever attempted to neutralise him and could easily also have had an assist to his game only for Yannick Ferreira Carrasco to drill his shot over.

Timothy Castagne (Fulham FC): The new Fulham man played as a right full-back and looked assured defensively and confident with the ball at his feet. He can also pride himself on being the architect of Belgium's fourth goal after regaining possession with a tackle high up the pitch. Seconds later the ball landed to Lukaku who let his cannibal instincts loose. In the light of what he showed tonight, if the former Leicester man translates his performances for Belgium for Fulham he will give Dutchman Kenny Tete a run for his money when club football resumes. 



https://www.capitalfootball.co.uk/single-post/new-fulham-boy-castagne-and-chelsea-flop-lukaku-shine-as-belgium-trash-estonia-5-0-and-trossard