James Musa please log in to view this image The day after the summer transfer window we didn't know whether he had signed and until now we hadn't seen or heard of him. Yesterday, at St Helens he made his Fulham debut against Liverpool and although the team went down 3-1 James put in a credible performance. In this interview with a New Zealand paper he explains his frustrations and his expectations - http://www.stuff.co.nz/dominion-post/sport/football/7740220/
Academy Coaches Recognising and developing talent is obviously a key role. This article, although primarily about Southamton, confirms that Fulham have four top men in place - http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/southampton-would-be-extinct-if-it-wasnt-for-legacy-1364055 While I'm sure that we all want to see youngsters making it to the first team, I guess the 'develop revenue' as well as 'develop squad' philosophy is one we should accept.
Liam Donnelly please log in to view this image The 16 year old came on as a sub for the Northern Ireland U21 team tonight in their 2-0 defeat against England at Bloomfield Road. As mentioned in the other post Liam has established himself in the back four of the Fulham U18 team since joining from Dungannon Swifts. Here is an interview that the young man had with his old club - which gives an interesting insight into the life of an Academy Scholar:
Corey Gameiro Is Corey Gameiro the new Ronnie Rooke ? Thereâs certainly something similar about their appearance : ... please log in to view this image ........... please log in to view this image Corey is from the Port Kembla suburb of New South Wales, and is one of the first Australians to join the Fulham Academy (from Sydney FC). Heâs a hard working striker with bags of pace and skill. Importantly, like Ronnie, he has a keen eye for goal and an ability to turn a game. Corey spent time on loan at Hayes and Yeading during the 2011/12 season before returning to Fulham in January 2012. He played his part in the U18s Premier Academy League Final triumph over Blackburn Rovers at Craven Cottage on May 12, coming on as a sub to help Fulham secure the title. Soon after he signed a contract extension with the Club that will see him remain at Fulham until the summer 2013. please log in to view this image To continue his development Corey has joined Dutch side FC Eindhoven in August on a four-month loan. He is regarded as one of his country's brightest prospects and in the AFC U19 championship scored 6 goals in 4 games, including a hat trick.
If he gets into the first team and scores at anything close to the rate RR did, it'll be good news all round. Let's hope he keeps making progress. Good spot, as ever, Cottager.
This is a nervy time of year for some of the Academy U16s as decisions are made about who has and who hasn't made the grade. Not too surprisingly the two who have been retained, and are now fully fledged "Scholars", are : Goalkeeper Magnus Norman please log in to view this image Forward Wesley McDonald please log in to view this image Through their performances for the Club this year both have also been included in England U16 squads. Young Kiye Martin will have to wait for the next review in February to see if he gets the nod. While less fortunate are Sean Martin, Ben Brindle-Card and Ronnie Conlon who have been released.
Cottager. Like yourself I take a great interest in the under 21 and acadamy sides., having watched many matches and training sessions at MP,there are many talented lads in the acadamy,but can they make the step up. 2 years ago i would have marked down both Trotta,and Briggs to now be part of our 1st team squad,but they have fallen short of that expectation. but adding to you appraisal of the current crop my no1 choice is Emerson Hyndman, this American lad just looks class. Before his arival there were 4 English clubs and 6 on the continent vying for his signature,including our nearest rival. I feel that coming from Texas and Demps being here at the time could have had some influence. no2 Cauley Woodrow,this lad is maturing with every match. Hopefully their progress is upward over the next few years,and who knows, another Jonny Haynes, & Bedford Jezzard.
please log in to view this image Congratulations to Jordan Evans on being given his first professional contract. The young Welshman has been a mainstay in the U18 team since signing last August.
please log in to view this image Congratulations too to Dean O'Halloran who has also been given a professional contract. The pacy Irishman is another product of the successful U18s.
Don't know if this is the whackiest or the cutest story ever - we've signed a 6 year old. Going by his looks he could be the new Bobby Moore (or Jimmy Bullard). Interesting to read that the'Ginger Iniesta's' son is also there.
Roscâs favourite goalkeeper Jesse Joronen made his international debut as Finland defeated Thailand 3-1 in the Kingâs Cup tournament on Wednesday. The Academy youngster Joronen said: âIt was very nice but definitely a surprise.â Finland face Sweden in their final game of the tournament on Saturday. please log in to view this image
Cameron Burgess please log in to view this image The 17 year old made his debut for the U21s against Sunderland today. Kit Symons had this to say about him: “He did really well actually, he was very good,” Kit said. “That was his first run out for us and he did very well. He’s 17 and a first year scholar. It was an opportunity for Cameron and he stepped up and did well so we’re very pleased with him.” As a teenager Cameron started his football in Scotland, where he played in the youth teams of both Glasgow Celtic and Aberdeen, before moving with his family to Australia. He was playing senior football there, for ECU Joondalup, before joining the Academy last summer. Both his father and grandfather played professional football, so it’s in the blood, as they say. A big lad and definitely one to watch.
Noe Baba please log in to view this image Academy defender Noe (pronounced Noah) Baba was named Under-16 International Player of the Year at the FAI International Football Awards on Sunday. The highly-rated youngster joined Fulham earlier in the season as the Club beat off a host of clubs competing for his signature. Born in Cameroon, he excelled for the Republic of Ireland U19s in their UEFA Championship preliminary qualification tournament where they beat Luxembourg and Romania, and drew with Germany. He also became the first African-born player to captain a Republic of Ireland age group when he led the Under-17s.
A Cameroonian with some Irish connection? How does that work? Or are the Irish rules now so liberal that if your parents, grand parents or milkman have flown over the country on the way to somewhere else you can represent them. Tony Cascarino did it and admitted to not being in the slightest bit Irish. Not that I care really but if there is someway we could lay claim to Lionel Messi I think we should explore it.
Noe Baba lived in Ireland from the age of 10 to 16 (when we signed him), so qualifies for Ireland through residency.
Residency, eh? Are kids allowed to play for more a different international team? For instance, if he gets good enough to be picked at senior level can he play for Cameroon and leave Ireland behind or is he fixed as an Irishman for good and all now?
As far as I know you can play for who you like until you get your first senior competitive cap. A good example of this is Zaha - he can still play for Ivory Coast despite having a full England cap.
Muamer Tankovic Slightly under the radar the Tank has leap-frogged into the main squad - at No. 43 please log in to view this image Muamer grew up in a very small suburban town called Tingstad in Sweden, and ultimately got scouted to join nearby professional club IFK Norrköping, who were in the Allsvenskan, the highest league in Sweden. Although playing for the youth setup at Norrköping, his talent was noticed at a very early stage and was given a spot on the bench for their first team not long after turning 16. It did not take long for him to make his professional debut, coming on in the 76th minute against AIK on 15 August 2011; Muamer was only 16 and a half. Fulham signed him from IFK Norrkoping on a three year (Scholarship) deal for an undisclosed fee; heâs on contract until at least the summer of 2014. Now aged 17 he has become a regular in the successful U18 side, with a few U21 games under his belt.. In a recent interview he said, "This is my second season at Fulham. I was spotted playing for Sweden at youth level. Martin Jol saw me play a game against Wales and he took me over here. It was a little bit hard at first when I came to England. The first few months were tough but from then on it was fine." Muamer scored 2 goals in six minutes in that U16 game against Wales as Sweden went on to win 3-1. Currently a member of the Sweden U19 squad, he is also still eligible to play for Bosnia and Herzegovina due to his father's nationality. Extremely creative, he has thrived in the number 10 role, while also impressing as an out-and-out striker. With clever movement and a pleasing knack of losing his marker. To date (in the U18s) he has scored 22 goals in 35 League and Youth Cup appearances.
like yourself i have seen this lad quite a few times,allways gives 100%,an seldom fails to impress. FFC should be looking at a contract extension,alongside Cauley Woodrow and Pat Roberts.
