Craven Cottage Newsround

Many CCN regular readers will know the name George H. as one of our regular readers and contributors. George recently flew over to England with his wife to celebrate his 40th birthday. Rich asked George to write for us this story of his first trip to the Cottage which he graciously did. Here is George’s story along with some photos of the trip.

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Hello, I’m George H.  I just took my first visit to Craven Cottage for last week’s match vs. Arsenal (it was for my 40th birthday).  So with no match this week and Rich off on his visit to France (probably to do a Times feature on Daniel “I’m not fond of the Scottish lifestyle” Cousin), he and Brian were nice enough to ask me to write about my trip.

First of, I haven’t been a Fulham fan for very long (only about four years).  I live in the US and really didn’t follow the club game that much.  I had grown up playing the game and would always pay attention to the US National team as well as the World Cup, but really didn’t follow the sport on a professional level.  However, once I got my satellite dish in 2000, my eyes were opened to the many great leagues overseas, and in particular, the Premiership. 

I watched as many matches as I could.  I would avoid the scores from the previous weekend and watch the replays of matches at night after work.  I watched Fulham a few times during this period after they got promoted in 2001 and became interested in some of their more notable players (Saha & Steed).  Once Fulham bought McBride (my favorite US player), they became my team and with the ever increasing TV coverage in the US, I have been able to see most of our matches.

So, back to the visit, my tickets were for the Riverside stand near the Hammersmith end.  My first impression of Craven Cottage when walking with my wife and Rich through Bishops Park to get to the match was “where the heck is the ground?”  The Cottage really blends in well with its surrounding neighborhood.  Once inside, I was surprised to see that it’s bigger than it appears on television.  Usually, it’s the exact opposite. Must be the camera angle on TV.

Anyway, we rushed to our seats and were able to get there just in time for when the teams walk out.  I had heard that the Riverside stand is known for being, how should I say this…understated.  After sitting there for an entire match, I must say that the reputation is deserved.  When I tried to join in with some of the singing that was coming from the Hammersmith, I did feel a bit inhibited because there was no one around me doing it as well.  A chant that really made me laugh was the “stand up if you’re not Chelsea” that the Fulham fans did.  Sure, the game changed not too long after that moment, but it was still a good one to hear. 

After about 20 minutes, my neighbor and I developed a good running chat about all things Fulham.  We dissected such topics as:  1) Sanchez’s job as a talent evaluator; 2) Niemi’s predominance to staying glued to his line (has to be attributed to his fall last year versus Watford) and 3) why Seol is cr*p.  As a Yank who loves the beautiful game, it’s always nice to speak with fan from another country and not feel like they think you’re a total buffoon who doesn’t know what they’re talking about.  I guess that I’ve listened to too much 606. 

Another highlight was seeing the crowd’s affection for Bullard as he warmed up.  For a player who had only made five previous appearances for the club, it’s incredible how much the fans have connected to him.  He also seemed to be the only player who acknowledged the fans support at the end of the match.  I was a bit disappointed by this.  I’ve always enjoyed this part of our sport which is unique, especially in England.  There always seems to be this emotional connection between the two groups, in good times and in bad.  Hopefully, this was an aberration that I saw last Saturday.

Overall, the match was enjoyable for me, but it wasn’t really about the result that day (thankfully).  It was about finally being there and seeing this special ground in person. 

I was especially lucky to take the tour of the Cottage the following day.  It was really neat to come back to the neighborhood on a non-match day and see how the landscape changes.  There were tons of people out jogging, walking their dogs or just out for a Sunday stroll with their families.  Again, because of the Cottage’s ability to fit in with the neighborhood, you hardly notice that you’re next to a football ground.

BTW, the tour is fantastic.  For someone like me who had not spent much time at the ground yet, it gives you a whole new appreciation for it.  The tour guide is a great guy (can’t remember his name, must be having a senior moment).  He does it as a volunteer as he’s a lifelong Fulham fan and season ticket holder.  I really commend him on his commitment to doing this. 

They take you into the Cottage areas (the hospitality area, changing room, etc.) as well as the skybox and onto the pitch.  The tour ends in the dining area where you can admire our trophies including the smallish 2002 Intertoto Cup which is about the size of an ice cream cone. 

I have some great pictures of all of these areas (including me sitting in the dugout), but we haven’t got that roll of film back yet.  I will make sure that I forward them along to Rich & Brian so they can post them later.  If any Fulham fans haven’t been to the Cottage yet, I recommend it highly.  You will not be disappointed.

Thanks for reading as well as to Rich and Brian for allowing me to write about this.  Here’s hoping for three points at Bolton on Tues.  Come on, Fulham!       

In another failed deal for Fulham, the Eric Nevland deal has collapsed. It’s widely reported that Fulham’s negotiators have flown home after Nevland’s current team, FC Groningen , demaded to much money. Nevland claimed he had struck a deal with Fulham but his current team nixed the deal. Sources say that Fulham was offering around £1M. 

The offer that Fulham made is absolutely high enough. Do I feel angry towards FC Groningen? I don’t want to answer that.

-Eric Nevland-

It’s Saturday and a rare day off for me. You see I work a lot of weekends. So the morning off is appreciated and as I sit with a warm cup of coffee in my hands, while the temperature outside hovers in the single digits (F°), I was reflecting a bit on my warm trip I took to Florida several weeks ago. There, temps ranged from 78° to 82°, sunny sky’s and everyday some time was spent on the beach. Gators, exotic birds and fantastic sunsets were common place. A far cry from my tundra like winter. So without carrying on too much, I leave you with a photo that my son took of me sucking in every bit of the crimson hues of a Florida sunset. I like this photo because it feels as if I’m looking out upon the whole world, which I suppose I am.  

Well, Martin Rogers of Yahoo Sports seems to think he knows. I have to say that I agree with Martin on most of these items. In this interesting article, he lists out the do’s and don’ts that may make Eddie Johnson successful in the Barclays Premier League. These could be true of anyone, but he has tailored them specifically for the GAM.

TOP THREE THINGS TO DO

-Be humble

-Speak to Brian McBride

-Be careful what you say

TOP THREE REASONS WHY HE CAN SUCCEED

-Physique

-He’s got a scoring touch

-He is confident

TOP THREE REASONS WHY HE MAY NOT

-Fulham’s situation

-Tough breeding ground

- Inconsistency

Marlon King has gone to Wigan Athletic after negotiations were stalled with Fulham.

I was speaking to Fulham for the last week and a half, I came down to get things sorted out and for whatever reason it didn’t happen. 

I think the two clubs were trying to renegotiate the fee, it had nothing to do with me, but when I picked up the papers I see I had failed a medical! I know my body is 110%. I didn’t fail a medical. I’ve been playing for a season and a half now and scoring goals - nothing has changed.

As far as I’m concerned and Wigan are concerned, I didn’t fail a medical. I had a medical today (at Wigan) and everything went smoothly, so I decided to make the switch. Steve Bruce made it clear he wanted me here and I am a Wigan player now.

Who knows what all of this means. I would have thought that if Hodgson had really wanted King he would have made a decent offer. For some reason Fulham must have gotten cold feet and felt that King was not what they wanted after all. Or, was he perhaps a diversion for the Johnson signing? Will we ever know?

Not much to tell in this story that hasn’t already been said before in the papers.

From the official site.

Courtesy of U.S. Soccer, Eddie Johnson does a nice little video interview where he talks about his Fulham transfer, the U.S. players currently on the Fulham roster, and his respect for Brian Mc Bride. Evidently, Mc Bride has encouraged Mr. Johnson to come and play for Fulham.   By they way, I saw on a couple of boards today some comments concerning Johnson and if he was so good why hadn’t other teams made bids for him. The fact is, Derby made a bid for him this past year which he turned down, and as posted earlier today, Johnson was offered $4 million by Benfica back in 2005 which MLS put the kabosh on.  So here’s Eddie -or- (GAM)  

Contrary to some reports, the Marlon King deal still seems to be on. King and his agents are saying the he DID NOT fail the physical and I read last night that Fulham confirmed this. They say they are still negotiating with King. Reports are that Fulham don’t want to pay more than £3.5 M. and King’s agent wants £5.5 M. So that’s really old news that’s now new again. King was quoted as saying, “How can I fail a medical when Fulham haven’t pulled out of a deal and talks are ongoing?”

According to Sky Sports, Wigan has now joined the party and are also trying to negotiate with King. I would expect that this will push things forward a bit faster and a decision will come soon, one way or another.

So the talk continues about Finnish International forward, Jari Litmanen. For those of you from the U.S. that may not be as familiar with Limanen’s storied career, here’s just a little information for you. He has played for Ajax, Barcelona, Liverpool and Hansa Rostock. He’s also played for Malmo of Sweden and numerous Finnish clubs. He is widely accepted as the best player Finland has ever produced. At 37 his best days are gone. But as Rich has said, he could be brought in and looked at as a leader. Perhaps even a strikers trainer of sorts?

Volzy has a new article up at the Times. Great stuff, how can you not like him. Quality through and through.

Ives Galarcep is saying that Eddie Johnson signed for $6 million and that normally players get a percentage. But MLS contracts don’t allow for that. But what’s interesting is Johnson had a first of it’s kind contract in MLS that allowed him to buy out his own contract which he did, to the tune of $4 Million. Johnson gets to pocket the difference. If Johnson had held up the deal, MLS could have gotten nothing as he would have been lost on a free transfer after the 2008 season.

By the way, Johnson was offered $4 million by Benfica in 2005. Grant Wahl from SI did a story back in 2005, explaining how Johnson negotiated the first contract in MLS that allowed the player to buy out his own contract. Which is exactly what GAM did. For those of you in the UK, the league itself, MLS, controls the rights to all players that play in the league. MLS did this to control it’s costs as a fledgling league that didn’t want expenditures getting out of control before they were established and solvent. But this has also hurt numerous players that have wanted to go to Europe to ply their trade. The problem has actually been two fold. The league not wanting players to go because they would prefer to keep the quality at home for obvious reasons. But the other issue has been that many European teams try to low-ball players from the U.S., thinking that they can get good deals.

Fulham now have 6 Americans on the squad. Everyone can name the first five, but the sixth is a bit interesting. Brede Hangeland, Norwegian international who was signed by the team this week. actually has duel citizenship because he was born in Houston Texas.

Lastly, let’s all wish Rich a fantastic trip and nice few days off from work and CCN.

A few odds and ends before I go to Paris:

Fulham Review co-author Martin’s blog has a couple more updates, including a story of some outrageous faffery by the Football Association.

Rob mentioned this earlier in the year, but Backpass Magazine is well worth a read. These days most football magazines lack a certain something, but Backpass is terrific. It focuses on the pre-Sky game, so lots of articles about the 60s, 70s and 80s. Subscriptions are entirely reasonable too. Get yourself a copy.

Don’t be frightened of being unhappy! This has nothing to do with Fulham (although I’m sure we could bend it that way if we wanted) but is a really interesting read:

My fears grow out of my suspicion that the predominant form of American happiness breeds blandness. This kind of happiness appears to disregard the value of sadness. This brand of supposed joy, moreover, seems to foster an ignorance of life’s enduring and vital polarity between agony and ecstasy, dejection and ebullience. Trying to forget sadness and its integral place in the great rhythm of the cosmos, this sort of happiness insinuates that the blues are an aberrant state that should be cursed as weakness of will or removed with the help of a little pink pill.

Back to the game. A very good piece on the Times Fanzine Fanzone, written by a Man City supporter and dicussing the forthcoming derby game. As you’ll know, this derby will commemorate the Munich air disaster of 1958, and the concern is that City fans will fail to respect the proposed minute of silence.

This’ll surprise you:

It’s our friend Seol Ki Hyeon bursting the net for Reading.   Seol’s getting a lot of flack at the moment, not all of it deserved, so I’m going to be on his side for a while in an attempt to even things out.    I don’t need to be told that he hasn’t exactly been Diego Maradona for us, but equally, I don’t know if being booed helps his game.    If anything it looks like he’s trying too hard at the moment, so rather than relaxing and letting his talent make things happen, he’s trying to pull off wonder-runs at all opportunities.   Seol playing football reminds me of myself playing poker on tilt, trying too hard to make things happen at the wrong time and getting things embarrassingly wrong at the right time.   If that makes sense.

In other Fulham news we now believe that Eddie Johnson has been training with the team all week so should be ready to play when required.   Good news.

And now I must get ready for Paris.  I have a list of things to do, things like hoovering and taking out the rubbish, and then I must pack my bags and head off (very early tomorrow morning).    Brian will keep you up to date with all the latest happenings (and I think we can expect a couple more happenings this week) and I’ll see you next Tuesday, so to speak.  I won’t be checking in before then, so all the news will be hitting me in one go.  How exciting.

Have a goodun, and COYW!

“I have made no secret of the fact that I believe the squad lacks a certain balance in specific areas of the team and following the loss of Brian McBride to injury, this is true of our strike force.

At 6’1” inches tall Eddie has the presence that will complement the other forwards within our squad and he has the ability to offer us another dimension to our attacking play. I am delighted that he has joined us and am grateful to the representatives from the Home Office for granting him the work permit which will enable him to play for us as soon as possible.”

Good stuff*. Full thing here.

If, by chance, you’re new to this site, you need to read Brian’s excellent piece about Johnson here.   There’s also a good discussion of Johnson here.     Between those two you should have a fair idea of what Eddie Johnson might or might not be for Fulham.

*should probably add that I think Brian ‘broke’ this news to UK Fulham fans a few weeks ago. Not that this is much of a scoop, but there we are; we were first with the message and we’ll pat ourselves on the back as we see fit!

Senegal hero Diomansy Kamara hasn’t had the best of starts for Fulham.   While he’s in Ghana his new boss is openly recruiting new forwards. Serious business.

But perhaps it’s exactly what Kamara needs. Rather than skidding all over a sticky Bristol Rovers pitch (can you imagine him in last night’s game?) or beeing roundly booed in home games, now he’s scoring goals for his country far away from all this relegation nonsense. He might come back a new man. He might respond to competition for places and lead us up the table. You never know. There’s talent in there somewhere.

Anyway, Colin B watched him today in Senegal’s 2-2 draw with Tunisia. Here’s hoping it signals a return to form.

Andreason has taken number 26.

Hangeland is number 32.

Johnson will presumably get either 14, 15 or 16.

Here’s another Fulham site:  Life as a Cottager.   Early days but it looks like it’ll be a good read.

Head over and say hello.

Okay, this is getting interesting. Slaven Bilic was at the Rovers game last night, apparantly.

I had assumed that he was at the Arsenal game to watch Eduardo. But if he was in Bristol last night, well, something’s afoot, right?

I don’t think for a minute that Hodgson will be held accountable for the bad results we’re seeing, so it must be more complicated than just swapping managers over again. Perhaps Roy is expecting (or expected) to move into a Director of Football role? Bilic was approached about the Fulham job in December. Who knows what happened from there? The plot thickens.

[probably a load of nothing]