tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-60844537987899389252024-03-22T04:15:12.852+00:00Following the FulhamSpreading the word about London's greatest football teamUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger222125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6084453798789938925.post-9631710270522000322008-07-16T23:30:00.003+01:002008-07-16T23:31:31.764+01:00FtF moves to WordpressWe have decided to move this blog onto the Wordpress platform so please come over and join us there....<br /><br />the new address is: <a href="http://www.followingthefulham.wordpress.com/">www.followingthefulham.wordpress.com</a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6084453798789938925.post-36653793658063450682008-07-16T08:31:00.003+01:002008-07-16T08:33:42.430+01:00New book for Fulham fansOur friends over at CCN have just published the <a href="http://cravencottagenewsround.wordpress.com/2008/07/15/the-fulham-review-0708-its-here/">Fulham Review 07/08 </a>which covers our, er, eventful past season in the Premier League. I bought last year's one which was fantastic so it's definitely worth taking a look - and it's a bargain price, too. Click <a href="http://cravencottagenewsround.wordpress.com/2008/07/15/the-fulham-review-0708-its-here/">here </a>for more info.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6084453798789938925.post-73791010987065997452008-07-10T09:16:00.003+01:002008-07-10T09:18:56.276+01:00Fulham in talks with West Ham duoA bit of good news to cheer up our morning. West Ham have <a href="http://football365.com/story/0,17033,8697_3798986,00.html">confirmed </a>they've give us permission to speak to Bobby Zamora and John Pantsil (Paintsil). Both would make very good additions to the squad, filling striker and right back gaps. Fingers crossed eh?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6084453798789938925.post-36894089898612511542008-07-08T09:38:00.003+01:002008-07-08T09:47:50.574+01:00Palace winger on trial at FulhamAn amusing story this morning. Apparently, news that Ashley-Paul Robinson, an 18-year-old Crystal Palace winger, is having a trial with us was broken by the youngster himself on the Facebook social networking site. Read <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2008/jul/08/crystalpalace.championship">here </a>for the full details. Anyone know much about him?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6084453798789938925.post-48148897074544579662008-07-04T08:55:00.004+01:002008-07-04T08:58:36.340+01:00Roy Hodgson praises Fulham fansIn an interview in <a href="http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2008/July/HodgsonFulTime.aspx">Fultime Magazine</a>, Roy Hodgson has praised the contribution of the fans in our survival battle. A nice touch from a class act.<br /><br /><br /><blockquote>As far as the fans are concerned I’ve been more and more impressed by them. I’ve been impressed by the fact that every game since I’ve been here has been a sell out, which I don’t think is an obvious thing when you’re at the bottom of the table. With one or two minor exceptions all of our performances have been greeted with, if not jubilation, then respect from the public, which, of course, is great. And towards the end, those people who travelled away, and those who stayed behind after Birmingham to acclaim the team, I found that very touching. I’ve been brought up in a hard school football-wise and I’m more used to people behaving like that when the team’s at the top of the league, so to get the reception that we did after Birmingham speaks volumes of our fans and proves that we have a major responsibility to perform for them. </blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6084453798789938925.post-37763221208281982232008-07-02T11:06:00.003+01:002008-07-02T11:12:32.594+01:00Fulham stuck with KamaraWell, it doesn't look like <a href="http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2008/July/ReturnToTraining.aspx">Joe's going anywere</a>. He's damaged his knee ligaments playing for Senegal and is likely to be out for six months which means we won't be seeing him in a white shirt until next year at the very earliest...<br /><br />...So, despite hints that there were other clubs sniffing after him and the prospect of recouping some of his £6m price tag (no, I can't believe we paid that much either) we're now stuck with another multi-million pound 'star' in the treatment room.<br /><br />I actually like Joe and he scored some real belters last season, particularly the two crucial strikes at Manchester City which helped turn our season around, but he's very much a 'luxury' player who, by his own admission, didn't exactly set the world alight last season.<br /><br />Therefore, if we had sold him I wouldn't have been too upset. What we have now, though, is the worst of all worlds. A bit-part, expensive player who we can't even use. With the departure of McBride our attacking options for next season look extremely limited. Let's hope Roy has got something up his sleeve otherwise we'll effectively be in a relegation fight before we've even started.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6084453798789938925.post-63630788260839981752008-06-27T07:08:00.002+01:002008-06-27T07:10:10.351+01:00FtF getting a makeoverWe're just looking to give the site a bit of a makeover in time for next season so posts will be a bit sporadic over the next week or two. Any ideas, comments, suggestions or general abuse, feel free to leave it here!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6084453798789938925.post-78242085436735031032008-06-18T17:03:00.004+01:002008-06-27T16:05:59.143+01:00Fulham to build statue of Johnny HaynesGreat news! For those who haven't heard, the club have announced that planning permission for a statue of the Maestro has been obtained and a fund raising campaign will apparently soon be launched. It has taken a ridiculously long time but at least we appear to be moving in the right direction. Just a shame it didn't happen 10 (at least) years ago.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6084453798789938925.post-45981088784966992262008-06-17T07:52:00.002+01:002008-06-17T07:53:45.636+01:00Frank Lampard: Pretty in PinkNext time Frank starts snogging his badge in front of the Hammersmith End just think about <a href="http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/showbiz/bizarre/article1300458.ece">this image </a>of him on holiday - complete with matching salmon shirt and shorts...and his other half's handbag. Nice!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6084453798789938925.post-31347181250673355872008-06-13T18:48:00.002+01:002008-06-13T18:52:56.189+01:00The bravest man aliveNot Fulham related I'm afraid but if you haven't come across this guy already I urge you to visit his <a href="http://baldyblog.freshblogs.co.uk/">blog</a>. Adrian Sudbury is a young guy from Huddersfield who is battling two forms of leukaemia and the prognosis is not good. His blog and campaign for more people to become involved in Bone Marrow donation is inspirational stuff. I defy anyone to read his posts without being moved to tears. Next time we get so upset about a football match it will be worth sparing a thought for him.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6084453798789938925.post-67608119509448976262008-06-09T10:15:00.003+01:002008-06-27T15:47:41.105+01:00Fulham season tickets selling fastGood news from the Fulham ticket office this morning. They have had so many season ticket renewals and applications that there is currently a five day back log! Apparently, there are already around 600 new applications which is obviously superb.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6084453798789938925.post-38872207322879460532008-06-06T13:09:00.002+01:002008-06-06T13:12:34.914+01:00Jimmy Bullard NOT player of the seasonI fear that Jimmy Bullard will ride to the player of the season award on the crest of a wave of public adoration but that would be wrong. Yes he is fantastically important to us and Yes he's been an inspirational figure since his return from injury but it would be an injustice to give him this honour. Why? I hear you yell. Well, for one simple reason: Simon Davies. Unquestionably our Welsh wonder has been our most consistent player, has turned in top drawer performances in the vast majority of almost 40 appearances, and has both scored and made crucial goals. While I appreciate that this is a free country I impore you to log-on to <a href="http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2008/June/PlayeroftheSeason.aspx">Fulham's official website </a>and give him the credit he so richly deserves.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6084453798789938925.post-515455786878999022008-05-30T08:27:00.007+01:002008-06-27T15:48:16.290+01:00Hangeland for captain?The Daily Mail is reporting today that Roy is set to appoint our giant Norwegian as the skipper for next season and that's a decision I would wholeheartedly support. It always seems sensible to have the captain stationed at the back as they are in a far better position to see how the game is shaping up, identify where we are being over-run and spot weaknesses we can exploit.<br /><br />Hangeland was also Roy's captain at Viking when he was barely out of nappies so one would presume he has the communication skills to do the job. And anyway, apart from Brede, who else could do it? Aaron Hughes deputised for Brian last year so may also be a contender. The only fear is affecting a decent player's game in a negative way, as seemed to happen when Cookie gave Boa the armband a couple of years ago.<br /><br />However, Hangeland must be warned that the captain's armband at Fulham appears to be cursed. Back when Brian ripped his knee apart last August we put together a list of the problems suffered by previous skippers. You can read it <a href="http://followingthefulham.blogspot.com/2007/08/curse-of-captains-armband.html">here</a>. Fingers crossed nothing happens to him as I am convinced that he will be a vital part of next season's team.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6084453798789938925.post-4012413396794843762008-05-29T10:19:00.004+01:002008-06-27T15:48:01.161+01:00John Terry - what a farce!If you haven't read the papers yet today then I suggest you don't eat anything until you do as they will make you want to vomit. The ridiculous, sycophantic tosh that is being written about John Terry's 'heroic performance' in last night's friendly against the USA plunges new depths.<br /><br />Take the Daily Mail for example. Under the headline: "Redemption!", it tells in breathless fashion how the Chelsea captain "eased the pain" of last week's Champions League defeat and quotes Terry himself as saying: "I'm a big man, I like the big games and it was great to score."<br /><br />Now, I've got a heart. I even felt a bit sorry for him last Wednesday when he fluffed his penalty but this farcical, media-inspired, Diana-esque outpouring of grief just makes us football fans look pathetic. I can see why those who don't follow the game look upon us with a mixture of pity and loathing.<br /><br />For goodness sakes let's get a grip. Last time I checked Terry hadn't just been diagnosed with an incurable disease and I'm fairly sure that neither of his legs have been blown off. All that happened was he missed a penatly. BIG deal.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6084453798789938925.post-44986487172165740612008-05-29T07:51:00.002+01:002008-05-29T08:03:55.163+01:00More Fulham players to leave?Roy's axe has certainly been swinging this week with the departure of 10 members of our over-inflated squad, including notable names such as Brian McBride, Carlos Bocanegra and Tony Warner, who have all played prominent roles in the past couple of years. We at FtF would like to thank them all and wish them the very best of luck wherever their careers take them next.<br /><br />We currently have 26 players on the roster: four goalkeepers, nine defenders, nine midfielders and four attackers. So who is going to leave next? I think we can be fairly certain that more depatures are on the cards but I guess it will be down to how long there is to go on the contracts of certain players - and whether anyone else is interested in signing them.<br /><br />Of the full list below, I imagine the following could find their positions in doubt: Antti Niemi, Ricardo Batista, Dejan Stefanovich, Chris Baird, Seol Ki-Hyeon, Alexey Smertin, Lee Cook (if he actually exists). But hey, what do I know? Volzy may also find himself surplus to requirements but, personally, I'd prefer him to stay as he is so versatile.<br /><br /><strong>Goalkeepers</strong><br />Kasey Keller, Ricardo Batista, Antti Niemi, Mark Schwarzer<br /><br /><strong>Defenders</strong><br />Moritz Volz, Dejan Stefanovic, Paul Konchesky, Aaron Hughes, Elliot Omozusi, Brede Hangeland, Toni Kallio, Chris Baird, Adrian Leijer<br /><br /><strong>Midfielders</strong><br />Seol Ki-Hyeon, Alexey Smertin, Lee Cook, Danny Murphy, Leon Andreasen, Simon Davies, Jimmy Bullard, Clint Dempsey, Hameur Bouazza<br /><br /><strong>Attackers</strong><br />David Healy, Joe Kamara, Eddie Johnson, Erik NevlandUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6084453798789938925.post-14408283929243305502008-05-28T19:50:00.004+01:002008-06-27T15:48:58.860+01:00Brian McBride - a rare breedWe all knew it was coming but Brian McBride's announcement that he was leaving Fulham still brought a lump to my throat. Although it was increasingly obvious at the back end of the season that old father time was beginning to catch up with our American superstar, he still proved himself to be more than capable of banging in the goals when it really mattered - particularly the crucial strikes against Everton, Reading and Birmingham.<br /><br />However, there was far more to King Brian than just his goal scoring prowess. He was clearly a leader of men who commanded respect in the dressing room. An increasingly rare phenomenon in the modern game, he was also an educated, articulate, quiet, humble man who always treated with complete respect the autograph-hunting fans that approached him outside the stadiums.<br /><br />FtF was fortunate to meet him after the Portsmouth game and he was as gracious as you would expect. A lovely guy and a Fulham legend. Good luck Brian and thanks for all the memories. You will be missed, that is for sure.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6084453798789938925.post-82864807033800243052008-05-28T12:00:00.003+01:002008-05-28T12:04:56.852+01:00Tony Warner releasedSad news on the <a href="http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2008/May/WarnerReleased.aspx">main site </a>about Tony Warner being released. Okay I know he probably wasn't Premier League standard but I can remember him making some corking saves in the past. Perhaps his most impressive performance for us was when he came on as a sub for Mark Crossley in the home game against Liverpool a few years ago. Anyhow, good luck Tony.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6084453798789938925.post-30738583460039463002008-05-28T11:54:00.003+01:002008-05-28T11:59:49.645+01:00Why am I supporting the USA???Okay, cards on the table time. I'm a proud Englishman (if there is such a thing!) but have divided loyalties ahead of tonight's international friendly as we now have a real bond with our American cousins. I remember having the same bizarre feeling when England were playing Portugal a few years back when Gary Neville (I believe) upended Boa and I found myself hurling abuse at the television! Am I alone?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6084453798789938925.post-9336823631199284532008-05-21T18:36:00.003+01:002008-05-21T18:40:15.943+01:00Is it bye bye JoeAfter hitting a staggeringly impressive six goals all season (five league, one cup) Joe Kamara has revealed he's <a href="http://www.football365.com/story/0,17033,8697_3591449,00.html">considering his options </a>after being head hunted by rival clubs. Disappointing stuff to hear this, particularly given the fact that he's admitted under-performing for us. Can't imagine for a second that any top 10 clubs would give him a second glance so imagine he's raising the prospect of leaving to help bolster the terms of his contract.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6084453798789938925.post-64254495417556555812008-05-16T15:19:00.001+01:002008-05-16T15:20:42.145+01:00No European tour for us then...<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2008/may/16/manchestercity.uefa">Bad news </a>but I suppose we can't complain given the week we've had. Would have been nice though...Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6084453798789938925.post-74481041965373087602008-05-16T11:58:00.004+01:002008-06-27T15:50:08.581+01:00Season tickets on saleFor those who are willing to subject themselves to another nail biting, emotional roller coaster, season tickets are now available via the main site. Those renewing before June 12th will also be given a Great Escape DVD which won't be available in the shops. Click <a href="http://www.fulhamfc.com/Tickets/SeasonTickets.aspx">here</a> for more.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6084453798789938925.post-21346566140203239342008-05-16T09:10:00.003+01:002008-06-27T15:50:25.108+01:00Fascinating stats on our seasonMy unpaid researcher - okay, my Dad - has been ploughing through the statistics surrounding our turbulent season and has come up with some pretty stark conclusions. As you will see, it's actually been our <em><strong>away</strong></em> form that has saved us...bizarre huh?!!<br /><br /><strong>Where did we get points on our travels?</strong><br />Total: 16<br /><br /><em><strong>Three points:</strong></em><br />Reading<br />Manchester City<br />Portsmouth<br /><br /><em><strong>One point:</strong></em><br />Chelsea<br />Blackburn<br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Wigan</span><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">Sunderland</span><br />Bolton<br />Birmingham<br />Derby<br /><br /><br /><strong>Who did we pick up points from at home?</strong><br />Total: 20<br /><br /><strong><em><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Threee</span> points</em></strong><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Everton</span><br />Aston Villa<br />Bolton<br />Reading<br />Birmingham<br /><br /><em><strong>One point</strong></em><br />Blackburn<br />Manchester City<br />Spurs<br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">Wigan</span><br />Derby<br /><br /><br /><strong>Overall fast facts</strong><br /><ul><li>We took 16 points off the top nine clubs</li><li>We took 20 points off the bottom nine clubs</li><li>Only 11 clubs scored more points than us away</li><li>Eighteen clubs scored more points than us at home</li><li>We let in 31 goals at home - yet only 29 away</li><li>Only 8 clubs <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">conceded</span> less away goals</li><li>Only 2 clubs scored less goals than us at home</li></ul>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6084453798789938925.post-14163329248396458232008-05-16T08:47:00.012+01:002008-05-16T08:55:30.726+01:00David James wanted us to be relegatedI am hoping he has been misquoted but some not very pleasant comments from David James on the <a href="http://sport.setanta.com/en/Sport/News/Football/2008/05/14/FA-Cup-James-on-Redknappfinal/">Setanta </a>site, particularly given the rousing reception WE gave him at Fratton Park.<br /><br /><br /><blockquote><span style="color:#000099;">"I suppose I was hoping we would beat Fulham just to put them down - having been in an end of season game and getting relegated [with West Ham United] I wanted someone else to feel that. But I would much rather have been playing.<br />"And my concerns haven't been the Cup Final, my concerns have been playing in The Premier League. We had a very good run of form until the Man City game, which we lost, and you want to be out there contributing to winning ways."<br /></span></blockquote>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6084453798789938925.post-15584406517169681872008-05-15T09:43:00.007+01:002008-05-15T09:50:00.622+01:00Volz speaks<em><blockquote><span style="color:#000099;"><em><br /><blockquote><p><span style="color:#000099;"><em>As I said, I was disappointed to not be part of it and<br />have felt left out at times. </em></span></p><p><span style="color:#000099;"><em>But I care a lot about that club and while it<br />was disappointing not to be in the team as much as I’d have liked, that was all irrelevant compared to the job at hand which was staying up. </em></span></p><p><span style="color:#000099;"><em>I’ve just had to put any individual agendas to one side over the past few weeks. Whatever it was going to take for us to stay up, we had to do.</em><br /></span></em></span></p></blockquote><p><span style="color:#000000;">Good stuff, as always, over on the </span><a href="http://volzy.com/diary.php"><span style="color:#000000;">personal website </span></a><span style="color:#000000;">of Moritz Volz where he talks about his emotions at not being involved in our end of season run-in, and how he headed to Craven Cottage on Sunday to watch our match against Pompey. Really feel for him. </span></p></blockquote></em>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6084453798789938925.post-13513906619133502032008-05-15T09:15:00.003+01:002008-06-27T15:50:45.541+01:00Who put the ball in the net?Having enjoyed such a clutch of victories lately I had lost track of who had actually been banging them in for us this season. I had a hazy recollection that Dempsey was our leading scorer a few months back but decided to have a trawl through the statistics.<br /><br />To my surprise four players have netted six times (league and cup). Dempsey is still the top scorer in the league, despite his last goal coming in our defeat at White Hart Lane back in December, while 11 individuals managed to get on the scoresheet at some stage.<br /><br />Initially I thought it was quite impressive to have that number scoring - but then I looked at some of our rivals and a different picture emerged. At the top end of the table, Man Utd had 15 different scorers (Ronaldo topping the list with 41!!!!), while 17 Chelsea players got on the list with Lampard taking the lion's share of 19.<br /><br />At the bottom, Derby had 13 players on the scoring chart with Miller top of the tree on six goals; Reading also had 13 scorers with Kitson the best of the bunch on 10, while Birmingham had the same number as us, although top scorer Forssell bagged nine.<br /><br />Here is our full run-down<br /><br /><strong>Six goals</strong><br />Dempsey (all in league)<br />Healy (4 league, 2 cup)<br />Kamara (five league, 1 cup)<br />Murphy (5 league, 1 cup)<br /><br /><strong>Five goals (all in league)</strong><br />Davies<br /><br /><strong>Four goals (all in league)</strong><br />McBride<br /><br /><strong>Two goals (all in league) </strong><br />Bullard<br />Nevland<br />Smertin<br /><br /><strong>One goal (all in league)</strong><br />Bocanegra<br />BouazzaUnknownnoreply@blogger.com1