FtF moves to Wordpress

We have decided to move this blog onto the Wordpress platform so please come over and join us there....

the new address is: www.followingthefulham.wordpress.com

New book for Fulham fans

Our friends over at CCN have just published the Fulham Review 07/08 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 here for more info.

Fulham in talks with West Ham duo

A bit of good news to cheer up our morning. West Ham have confirmed 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?

Palace winger on trial at Fulham

An 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 here for the full details. Anyone know much about him?

Roy Hodgson praises Fulham fans

In an interview in Fultime Magazine, Roy Hodgson has praised the contribution of the fans in our survival battle. A nice touch from a class act.

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.

Fulham stuck with Kamara

Well, it doesn't look like Joe's going anywere. 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...

...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.

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.

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.

FtF getting a makeover

We'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!

Fulham to build statue of Johnny Haynes

Great 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.

Frank Lampard: Pretty in Pink

Next time Frank starts snogging his badge in front of the Hammersmith End just think about this image of him on holiday - complete with matching salmon shirt and shorts...and his other half's handbag. Nice!

The bravest man alive

Not Fulham related I'm afraid but if you haven't come across this guy already I urge you to visit his blog. 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.

Fulham season tickets selling fast

Good 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.

Jimmy Bullard NOT player of the season

I 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 Fulham's official website and give him the credit he so richly deserves.

Hangeland 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.

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.

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 here. Fingers crossed nothing happens to him as I am convinced that he will be a vital part of next season's team.

John 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.

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."

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.

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.

More 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.

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.

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.

Goalkeepers
Kasey Keller, Ricardo Batista, Antti Niemi, Mark Schwarzer

Defenders
Moritz Volz, Dejan Stefanovic, Paul Konchesky, Aaron Hughes, Elliot Omozusi, Brede Hangeland, Toni Kallio, Chris Baird, Adrian Leijer

Midfielders
Seol Ki-Hyeon, Alexey Smertin, Lee Cook, Danny Murphy, Leon Andreasen, Simon Davies, Jimmy Bullard, Clint Dempsey, Hameur Bouazza

Attackers
David Healy, Joe Kamara, Eddie Johnson, Erik Nevland

Brian McBride - a rare breed

We 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.

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.

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.

Tony Warner released

Sad news on the main site 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.

Why 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?

Is it bye bye Joe

After hitting a staggeringly impressive six goals all season (five league, one cup) Joe Kamara has revealed he's considering his options 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.

No European tour for us then...

Bad news but I suppose we can't complain given the week we've had. Would have been nice though...