Author: Nick

So Premiership life after Saha started well for Fulham (and for Saha, who admittedly played very well for M** U** and scored).

McBride got a goal for us after being on the pitch for 10 mins. And we’ve signed an 18 year-old striker from Dutch side FC Twente, called Collins John.

John Collins, the Scottish midfielder left us at the end of last season. But since he was known as ‘JC,’ then surely Collins John will have to be known ‘CJ’? And as somebody else pointed out, given that Saha has done a Reggie Perrin on us, it quite appropriate. After all, I didn’t get where I am today by not spotting an obvious pun.

This from today’s racecard from Fontwell Park.

It’s a nice little racecourse in West Sussex, if you have nothing to do one Monday in the winter. I once saw Beech Road romp home there a month before he went on to win the Champion Hurdle, but anyway, I digress.

The point is, what is improverished Fulham doing chucking around seven grand or so on sponsoring a horse race?

3.20 Fulham Fc ‘Europe Here We Come’ Beginners’ Chase

£6500 added, 5yo plus, 2m 6f, penalty £4381, 8 runners.

The result:

7 Tikram A P Mccoy 4-6 Fav
3 Go White Lightning M Batchelor 14-1
8 Under The Sand R Johnson 11-1

8 ran.

As Coleman said after tonight’s 3-1 loss to Newcastle, Saha was sold because of business reasons. Specifically, he said (though not quoted on the FFC site), “We are going back to Craven Cottage and that is going to cost a lot of money.”

He’s not referring to the rudimentary redevelopment, but to the fact that Fayed had already pre-sold our ground for £50m to property developers, and like the pawn trade that football has become, needed to pay over the odds to get back what was once 100% ours – well 100% owned by Fayed and his offshore companies.

Having accepted a £15m down payment in 2002 on the total, Fayed needs to pay that back before the deadline (September 30 2004) at 12% annual interest (about £18.6m). That’s because having tried and failed to buy another site on which to build a ground, Fayed cannot now sell Craven Cottage to build luxury flats as he had planned behind everybody’s back (he was still saying going back to the Cottage is the ultimate aim when he’s already agreed to sell it).

Full story from an article on January 15 (prior to the Saha sale being confirmed, but was prescient) from the Independent, which concludes:

“Fulham are going home, and on top of £5m for the required, Premiership-standard ground improvements, Fayed, already in for £100m, will somehow have to find £18.6m to repay Fulham River Projects. All of which surely points to a desperate need for money again this summer. That, in turn, makes it almost guaranteed that behind the poker face the club know that they will be kicking off at Craven Cottage next season having sold Louis Saha.”

November 27 2003, Chris Coleman: “”We’re not a selling club. Louis has said he wants to stay, and there’s no chance he’s going…We’ve not had any concrete offers yet but even if there was an offer we wouldn’t sell him.”

December 22, Louis Saha: “I cannot say no – United is my dream and I want to go there,” Saha was quoted as saying in The Sun newspaper.”

December 23, Fulham Football Club: “There have been unsolicited and unwelcome enquiries from a number of clubs, including Manchester United…It has been made clear to those clubs that Fulham FC does not wish to, and has no financial requirement, to sell.”

Decmber 24, Chris Coleman: “The Chairman’s told me that I don’t have to sell any of my players.”

December 26, Chris Coleman: “He’s not for sale and that’s it.”

January 6 2004: Mohamed Al-Fayed: “I have a clear message to Sir Alex and anyone else who is interested: ‘Read my lips, Saha is not for sale’.”

January 9, Chris Coleman: “The bottom line is that me as a Manager, my CEO and the Chairman are all in agreement and there will be no sale in January.”

January 15, Louis Saha: “They have not been honest. The club’s managers keep changing their opinion…One day they say yes to a transfer and the next day they say no. They think I am an object.

January 18, Fulham Football Club: “Fulham Football Club can confirm that it has reached an agreement in principle with Manchester United for the transfer of the registration of Louis Saha, subject to a number of conditions.”

January 19, The Guardian: “A £10m deal was confirmed last night, although Saha, 25, was actually told last Tuesday [January 13] and has been house-hunting since. Last night he described it as a “dream move”.

Here we are, sitting on Notting Hill Gate tube station, waiting for the District Line Wimbledon train. A few more from our trip to London at Christmas linked from the picture below.

Morrissey will be back in April when his new album, the first since 1997 is released, apparently titled ‘You Are The Quarry’.

My friend Jon met up recently with the Boz Boorer, Morrissey’s guitarist and co-song writer, whom he has known for many years. Boorer was enroute to LA for a month of recording with the great man, tying up the remaining material.

Anyway, if these song titles are a reflection of the quality of the songs themselves, it should be a good ‘un

‘Life Is A Series Of People Saying Goodbye’
‘Teenage Dad On His Estate’
‘I Have Forgiven Jesus’
‘Come Back To Camden’,
‘How Can Anybody Possibly Know How I Feel?’

Even after 20 years Moz, how indeed?

So, we did it. We played the Bull & Gate in Kentish Town, London. It was a cold Monday night, three days before Christmas. But the result was fun and we managed to get more people than either the band before or after us.

A bunch of pictures are linked from the ones below, the last few of which are taken from my mate Dave’s camera, so the quality of the image isn’t as good, but some of the poses are arguably superior.

Witness the palingenesis (courtesy of our marketing dept) of This Change Is Everything at the Bull & Gate in London. The line up will be Ray, Dennis, myself and Dennis’ Yamaha Motif on drums.

Details:

Full lineup: Mon 22nd December | The Kicks + This Change Is Everything + Salt Lick

We’re on at 9.30pm. Email me for a flyer so that we get the kudos for having brought so many people.

There’s a map of the Bull & Gate here

Nearest tube is Kentish Town on the Northern Line.

….but someone wasn’t that impressed.

Barnes & Noble, Union Square, tonight.

Apologies for the quality, but only had the Palm Zire thingy on me.

By the way that’s the band’s book behind us and Andy Rooney’s under the pile of coats.

The Premier League table today:

1. Chelsea 14 35
2. Arsenal 14 34
3. Man Utd 14 31
4. Fulham 14 22