Fulham chief executive Bruce Langham has revealed that no firm decisions have been made yet on whether the club can return to Craven Cottage next season.
The ‘Back to the Cottage’ supporters’ campaign group continues to rally support for ending the club’s exile in Shepherd’s Bush and dumping the private deal that saw chairman Mohamed Al-Fayed agree to sell the club’s historic home to a shadowy property development company, known as Fulham River Projects.
Langham told the club’s official website:
“The sooner we decide where we’re playing next season the better as far as I’m concerned. There is no deadline as such – but the matter needs to be resolved as soon as possible and I can only keep on reiterating that the best interest of the Club’s future are the priority when it comes to assessing these options.
There is not much to report on this front as yet. We are still in the process of investigating alternative plans for Craven Cottage along with searching for an alternative site within the borough.
It’s only natural that the fans are concerned about the stadium situation. But at this time we all need to have a certain degree of patience with matters. The Chairman has a long-term vision for the Club and as part of that we have to progress and make Fulham a financially stable Club. We have met with the Back to the Cottage campaign and listened to their concerns and proposals, and will continue to have a dialogue with this group regarding the future.
We are all working towards guaranteeing Fulham FC’s long-term survival and the final decision regarding the stadium will take into account the best interests of the Club and the supporters.”
Langham described Fulham’s season ticket sales at Loftus Road as ‘extremely disappointing’.
“Firstly I would like to thank the fans that have shown their support and commitment to the team by purchasing their season tickets already. This loyalty to the club does not go unnoticed and I am hopeful that in the long term we will be in a position to reward this level of support.
I do accept that the fact that we have yet to announce where we are to play our home games for the 04/05 is a contributing factor as to why the ticket sales are down. However, it is still exceedingly disappointing given the level of consultation that took place with the fans regarding the season ticket package. There are now significant benefits on offer to fans who would like to apply for tickets, and I believe that the only way that to support the team properly is to show this by coming to see the team at Loftus Road. Staying away from the ground does not help the team in any way.”
