Fulhamwednesday 26Th December Kick Off 12:30Pm
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
The Offi cial Matchday Programme London's Original Season 18/19 | £3.50 Football Club V FULHAMWEDNESDAY 26TH DECEMBER KICK OFF 12:30PM 10 ISSUE NO. 10 FULHAM FC DIRECTORY Fulham Football Club, Training Ground, Motspur Park, Surrey, KT3 6PT CONTENTS Tel: 0843 208 1222 | Fax: 0208 336 0514 Email: [email protected] FFC Ticket Line: 0203 871 0810 CHAIRMAN & DIRECTORS Chairman: Shahid Khan Vice Chairman & Director of Football Operations: Tony Khan Chief Executive Officer: Alistair Mackintosh Non-Executive Director: Mark Lamping Non-Executive Director: David Daly FOOTBALL MANAGEMENT Manager: Claudio Ranieri MANAGER CAPTAIN Head of Fitness & Physical Performance: Claudio Ranieri looks Tom Cairney eyes Andrea Azzalin 04 ahead to today’s 06 maximum points from Assistant Manager: Paolo Benetti televised encounter this afternoon’s clash First Team Coaches: Carlo Cornacchia & Scott Parker Goalkeeping Coach: Paolo Orlandoni Assistant Fitness Coach: Vitantonio Pascale Manager of First Team Medical & Sports Science: Marco Cesarini Fitness Coaches: Alastair Harris & Gary Hall FOOTBALL OPERATIONS Vice Chairman & Director of Football Operations: Tony Khan Assistant Director of Football Operations & Chief Scout: Brian Talbot MANAGEMENT BOARD GEORGE COHEN MAIN INTERVIEW Chief Executive Officer: Alistair Mackintosh The Whites legend is the Calum Chambers on 14 latest inductee into the 28 reinventing himself in a Chief Revenue Officer: Casper Stylsvig Academy Director: Huw Jennings Forever Fulham Club new role at the Cottage Chief Operating Officer: Darren Preston General Counsel: Peter Limbert Fulham FC Foundation CEO: Mike McSweeney THE EXFILES Catching up with a past Whites player with a link to today’s EDITORIAL 42 Programme Editor: Tom Harvey opponents. This afternoon, it’s Jamie O’Hara Art Editor: Paul West CLIFF CARR Contributors: Bob Cain, Gordon Davies, Leigh The Fulham favourite and former skipper recalls his eventful time Edwards, Andy Greeves, Drew Heatley, Dean 52 in SW6 Jones, Ian McCulloch, Adam Micklewright, John Shirley & Alex White NOW! THAT’S WHAT I CALL RANDOM QUESTIONS Photography: Ken Coton, The Press Association Forward Aboubakar Kamara randomly chooses eight questions & Shutterstock Inc 58 from our list of 30 THANKS TO Cliff Carr, George Cohen, Joseph Dunlop, Joe THE LIST Edwards, Ben Kosky, Malcolm Macdonald, 66 We like making strange lists. Up next, it’s the top three totally Carmelo Mifsud, Leah Mylles, Jamie O’Hara, unnecessary handballs Geoff Pruce & David Slark THE WAY I SEE IT A former Whites star talks us through a Fulham-related 74 photograph of them. Today, it’s Malcolm Macdonald SONGS IN THE KEY OF LIFE MATCHDAY PROGRAMME 96 A Whites ace reveals his personal playlist. This afternoon, it’s Published by ProgrammeMaster Tom Cairney Managing Director: Lee Berry Printing: Bishops Printers GORDON DAVIES Programme Subscriptions: 0207 121 5000 The Club’s record goalscorer airs his views on all things FFC in his 98 Enquiries: [email protected] regular column Website: programmemaster.com fulhamfc.com 03 OPENING SHOT THE BIG MAN’S IN TOWN Father Christmas braves the rain and cold to hand out presents at Fulham’s home game with West Ham United last time out in SW6. 04 The Offi cial Fulham FC Matchday Programme fulhamfc.com 05 06 The Official Fulham FC Matchday Programme CLAUDIO RANIERI MANAGER The boss looks ahead to today’s televised encounter… A WARM welcome to Craven opportunities we had in the fi rst fantastic support in all games. Cottage for our Boxing Day 45 to cause them problems. These are positive factors and Premier League match against We understand the work we will help us to react and move Wolverhampton Wanderers. must undertake in all areas of in the right way. I believe they I hope you all had an enjoyable the pitch to win matches and try will do their best and improve Christmas Day and are now to move away from the bottom because everything around the ready for the busy Premier of the table. It’s diffi cult, but Club allows and encourages League schedule, a wonderful it’s important to stay positive us to perform well and make tradition in English football with and together. The team showed improvements. We are in a many families attending games that they can create chances, diffi cult moment, but it’s throughout the country during reaching good positions to make important to stay together and the festive period. 16 shots compared to West keep fi ghting hard. Welcome to Nuno Espirito Ham’s six. We continue to train Wolves arrive here today Santo, his coaching team, hard to improve to make sure in good form. Promoted as and the visiting club staff and that we can be more eff ective in champions, they have settled supporters of Wolves who have these situations. in the Premier League very well, made the trip early this morning Work on our defensive structure taking 25 points from their fi rst for the 12:30pm kick-off . is important, too. As I’ve 17 matches of the season. Prior I’m writing these programme mentioned before in programme to their match against Liverpool notes ahead of our away trip to St James’ Park due to programme “ I HAVE A VERY GOOD DRESSING print deadlines over Christmas. I ROOM, THE PLAYERS ARE TOGETHER hope that by the time you read these, we will have made an AND OUR FANS HAVE SHOWN encouraging performance against Newcastle United and taken FANTASTIC SUPPORT IN ALL GAMES ” points from this game. notes, in the Premier League last Friday, they won their last The more points we are able to teams possess a lot of quality three games. We know today collect during this busy run, the and can punish us if we are will be a test, we are at home more confi dence we will have for not robust enough, physically, and we need to show a positive the upcoming matches. tactically and mentally in our reaction in front of our fans. The result against West Ham defensive shape, which starts Thank you for getting behind United last Saturday was diffi cult from the front when we don’t the boys, we need your fantastic to digest as the team started have possession of the ball. support with us again throughout the match very well with good It’s diffi cult to keep pressing the whole match today. chances to open the score. We against teams that play one played a very good fi rst half, and two touches so in these Let’s get behind the team. but conceded two goals from circumstances we must make Enjoy the match. fast counter-attacks leaving sure that a good shape is us with a big challenge in the maintained. Then, try to recover second period. We tried in the possession in a reasonable way, second half, but against a strong without chasing unnecessarily and confi dent West Ham team even though the temptation is to who had won their previous try to get the ball immediately. three matches in the Premier I have a very good dressing League prior to our game, room, the players are together CLAUDIO RANIERI we were unable to create the and our fans have shown MANAGER fulhamfc.com 07 08 The Official Fulham FC Matchday Programme TOM CAIRNEY THE CAPTAIN The skipper eyes a favourable points return from two home games in quick succession… WELCOME BACK to the Cottage put the pressure on them, but we points over a short space of time for today’s Boxing Day clash. just couldn’t manage it. now - if we can do that we can I hope everyone had a great The conditions were Baltic. It was really start looking up the table. Christmas and that we can freezing. It was proper December Snooker legend Jimmy White deliver a belated present for the weather and it was a late kick-off , came to the training ground with Fulham fans this afternoon. so it was a chilly one, but that our sponsors Dafabet earlier this I’m writing these notes prior to didn’t play a part in the loss. It was month. He said he needed to play our visit to Newcastle on Saturday, the same for both teams. the best pool player at Fulham so fi ngers crossed we got a good The table doesn’t make good and obviously that was me. I result there to take into this crucial reading, but it’s important our played him and won 2-1 - to pick fi xture with Wolves. I didn’t feel the defeat to West Ham last time out at the Cottage “ THE TABLE DOESN’T MAKE GOOD was a fair result. We walked in at half-time wondering how we READING, BUT IT’S IMPORTANT OUR hadn’t scored and were 2-0 down. HEADS DON’T DROP ” It was the best 45 minutes of football we’ve played under the heads don’t drop. Training has up the victory on my home turf new boss so far. Performance-wise been good, and it needs to stay was very sweet. it was much improved, but as we that way. It’s been enthusiastic It was an amazing hour or so in know, it’s all about results. and there’s a good vibe. We’re the company of a top man. He It’s fi ne margins. Goals change trying to keep it upbeat with little showed me a few tricks and he’s games. Abou went clear early competitions and tournaments, invited me to go and see him play on and, having scored two in his and spirits are still high. The in the Dafabet Masters Snooker previous two, I fancied him to players and staff also went out for tournament at Alexandra Palace fi nd the net again.