Fulham legend Jimmy Hill stepped into the debate on the future on Fulham yesterday and appealed to the club chairman, Mohamed Fayed, to work closely with Chelsea chairman Ken Bates to secure a permanent home for both west London clubs at Stamford Bridge.
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Fulham legend Jimmy Hills believes
Chairman Al Fayed should sell The Cottage
and invest in Stamford Bridge
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Hill, the Fulham chairman for 10 years from the mid-Eighties, insisted that it was the most logical step forward if Fulham were to progress as an elite club in England. Hill's one proviso, however, was that the money from the sale or development of Craven Cottage should be ploughed into the new arrangement.
Hill, who spent eight years as a Fulham player, explained: "Because of the nostalgia, it is painful, but we could make a move that is beneficial in every way and not lose an ounce of spirit. There is no use in moping. Time moves on. Three or four players I played with at Fulham are dead, and you recognise the fact that you do not live forever, and life does change.
"I would be happy to see Fulham based at Stamford Bridge, if every penny from the sale of Craven Cottage went into the future club. Provided that is the safeguard, Fulham fans can remain calm and confident that the right thing is being done for the future."
Hill added: "I have spoken to Mr Fayed and he told me he was still looking for the best way 'to score a goal for Fulham', and his record so far illustrates that. Let's judge the chairman on what he has done for the club, not what fans and critics say he is going to do. I can only speak about what I have seen him do for Fulham in the last seven years, which has been a wonderful period for the club."
Hill revealed that talks had taken place between Fulham directors and Bates in the mid-Eighties, but had broken down. "We had a meeting in Fulham Town Hall in the late Eighties, invited all the supporters to get their views, and on a show of hands, it was divided 50/50. The discussions with Chelsea carried for a few months until the end of that season."
Hill insisted that even a rebuilt Craven Cottage, whose estimated maximum capacity would never exceed 30,000, would not be large enough to support a thriving Premiership club.
"You have to be realistic. To balance the books in the future, rather than having a generous benefactor throwing money in, you have to think of getting between 40,000 and 50,000 into the stadium. Ideally, everyone would want a ground exclusively for Fulham, but the cost of land in the area makes it nigh on impossible to erect a new stadium. The obvious answer is to try to arrange what nearly happened during my early chairmanship years - to share Stamford Bridge."
Hill pointed to similar arrangements in Italy and added: "I'm not involved, but I can see advantages to both clubs, through sharing costs. Nor is the relationship one of lifetime enemies, such as Arsenal and Spurs in north London. This would be a natural marriage between two football families, who have had problems and associations, triumphs and despair alongside each other for years."
Source D. Telegraph by Gareth A Davies