Fulhamish #2 New Mancs on the Block

Not a Very Pretty View, but the glass is always Half Full

Today's game is against the Über rich New Mancs on the Block. Second versus bottom. I used to like them, because they were the poorer cousins. Our Chairman genuinely loves his club and the fans and we love him back. He saved Fulham from crumbling into the ground, literally, and we will always be grateful - even if we have to put up with the Curse of Jackson. There is a connection and history, no matter how tenuous. 

He may be an Asylum Seeking Chairman (according to Smiffy) but only because the government refused him Citizenship because he kept speaking out of turn. His crime was to forgot that in the world of business you're not allowed to talk openly about the back handers, insider deals and general corruption that follows money. It's just not cricket. The People are not supposed to know!

But MAF is not a limited company or a murky investor who has no interest in the team beyond owning it. Mohamed Al-Fayed is also a well known Conspiracy Theorist and Eccentric so there is much to love about him, especially on this blogsite. He knows there is no one is ever bigger than the team and so we indulge each other. Football is about the fans as AFC Wimbledon and FC United have shown. 

Without The People, there is no football. Players, chairmen and even some grounds come and go. 

I believe today, like I believed on that day in April when Fulham fans could finally sing:

'We're winning away, 

we're winning away, 

how shit must you be, 

we're winning away.' 

It was pure poetry against the 'fake hoops' (according to Smiffy) that we could stay up and we did against all odds. On the last day of the season, David beat Goliath and sent the Royals down. It was a moment in time, a memory etched forever in annuls of the club, like when we held the then Mighty Warriors of the Undeserving Poor in the 3rd Round of the old Milk Cup. Twice. 

Every dog has it's day when even the powerful and mighty fall - especially if a tackle is well timed. Ahem.

Referee!

We reached a European final and stayed up. Strange things happen in football if only you have faith. We coasted well last season after a start bereft of wins. So let the young whipper snappers set the pace because they will soon run out of breath. We've been here before.

Down from here, the only way now is up. There is a very long way to go to get to the magical 42 (not 40 that's LIES!!) and we've been here before. This is a marathon, not a sprint. Unless your parents called you Elvis thus cursing you to take cocaine. Things could be worse and for that I'm thankful.

COYWS

[Videos going to added to this post, hopefully some of my own - FootballZillaTV Broadcasting for the People]

GoldenBalls - Queens or Cottager?

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David Beckham has been linked with QPR in recent days.

Ten years ago our Asylum Seeking Chairman (according to Smiffy) Mohamed Al-Fayed (MAF) said:

“if [George] Best played for Fulham - why not Beckham? If we were good enough for Georgie, we are also good enough for Becks.” 

I agreed then as now. Fulham have a long tradition of stars “in the autumn of the footballing lives”– Bobby Moore, George Best, Edwin van der Sar and Karl Heinz Riedle (who scored his last ever goal in a 2-0 win over QPR). So since MAF told us Becks was a ‘good friend of mine’ why are the Mighty Whites not being linked to GoldenBalls?

So in order to wind up the known QPR fan Smiffy, lets look over this:


Fulham, Craven Cottage:

Craven Cottage hosts London's oldest club and sits in the corner of a stadium that was refurbished by flogging Louis Saha when we saw the latest injury bill. The Johnny Haynes stand "remains the oldest stand (dating back to 1905) in the Football League and is thus a Grade II* listed building."

All Images and quotes from Wikipedia

It is a family club that attracts attendances that average in excess of 25,000. "Due to Fulham's past history of having no segregation in the Putney End and having very well-behaved fans, the FA gave Fulham special dispensation to allow for this. Fulham is the only club currently in the UK to have such an area."

Marketing Patter: You can enjoy European Nights with an established English Premiership team (2001-) in a beautiful riverside location where hoodies will get run over by a Chelsea Tractor. The local shops, bars and restaurants offer a variety of places to take the children (just avoid one of the statues if the kids are in tow you don't want to give the wrong impression).

Queens Park Rangers,  Loftus Road*:

Not a very pretty view from The Loft

Although built one year before the cottage, QPR flogged Les Ferdinand and spunked the money. It shows. They have returned to the Premier League after many years of trying not to get beaten by Welsh teams.

Attendances scrape just over 15,000 as it's difficult to afford a ticket on the dole (and this was before they had the recession to blame). Following the London Riots attendances rose over last season, but most fans can't be arsed to attend as you can't drink inside the ground, so they stay on their park benches.

Not a very pretty picture either

Loftus Road is a shithole. It should have been knocked down years ago but its substructure may be the only thing holding up the local estate. When asked if they were a family club a spokesman  offered the caller out.

Marketing Patter: Experience fly by nights race the White City Estate set against the backdrop of a waterslide over the road. The local shops, bars and restaurants offer a variety of places to buy cheap alcohol, dodgy take away food and endless opportunities to get mugged. 

Now to totally honest though I’m not thinking of this in terms of football as I doubt Goldenballs would play much even if we decided to buy, but I am thinking of all the money and extra interest we’d get and this being converted back into the ground. We've had our own David Beckham, Fulham ‘legend’ and Japan World Cup star Junichi Inamoto. Which is an excuse for me to show a video of his goals including that absolute beauty against the Old Mancs on the Block in our 1-3 win at Old Trafford back in 2003 (goal starts 0:56).

I may add to this post – suggestions of QPR/Fulham comparisons please (in comments) as *I am still trying to wind Smiffy up and I expect him to retaliate at some point.http://bitly.com/nCsAbA

I’m a Celebrity Chairman–Get Me Out of Here!

Howay that Lad.

The Twit with a silly beard Joey Barton (bless him) asked on Twitter about the above (alleged) picture of Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley:






If this was anyone but the Geordies, Ashley wouldn’t pass the ‘fit and proper’ test. I swear I’ve seen his twin at the Newcastle game at the Cottage legging it across the pitch with stewards (oh we hate Goldrange)  chasing after. But unlike when other clubs invade your pitch, home fans take the joke with the Geordie Nation. You have to wonder why Ashley’s not endearing himself to the fans? Oh yeah, because he won’t spend any money, which is apparently the reason the Silly Bearded Twit* was forced out - he did not Respect Authoritah!

South Park: Chickenlover

I won't laugh too much. It’s best not to comment since Fulham's chairman, Mohammed Al-Fayed recently appeared on Celebrity Big Brother. Not to mention the infamous Fulham Song by Keith Allen or this 'celebrity' gem:



The phrase people in glass houses comes to mind so instead I will leave Smiffy* with this:

Al-Fayed whooaah
Al-Fayed whooaah
He wants to be a Brit
and QPR are shit
Al-Fayed

* Yes, I am trying to wind up Smiffy, still.