Fulham to unveil a statue of a legend….Michael Jackson?

It is almost an incontrovertible fact that former Harrods boss Mohamed Al Fayed has been a fantastic owner and chairman for Fulham. He has ploughed a fortune into the club and helped establish them as a Premier League club after many years in the doldrums.

Eccentric

The only issue with Al Fayed is that there is always a slight suspicion that he is a little eccentric. Some people might go as far to say he is just one sandwich short of a picnic!

Strange things occasionally happen around Al Fayed. One of these was the visit to Craven Cottage back in 1999 of the pop star Michael Jackson, as a guest of the owner, to watch Fulham beat Wigan 2-0 in League two game.

Patience

Fulham fans are prepared to accept quite a lot of Al Fayed’s eccentricities because they know that they owe him a lot. However, I fear that their patience and support may be sorely tested by their chairman’s latest mad-cap idea.

Al Fayed has announced that the club are going to erect a commemorative statue of the late Michael Jackson at their Craven Cottage ground.

Website

Writing on the Fulham website Al Fayed said,

“I hope many fans of his will visit the statue from far and wide. And I hope that Fulham fans will appreciate seeing the finest performer in the world amongst them, the finest fans in the world. Michael Jackson was truly a legend, a term used too often in this modern world saturated in the hyperbole surrounding celebrity.

“He was my friend, a man with whom I shared many happy memories and who died a tragic and untimely death. He left behind a legacy of music so vast it takes one’s breath away; from a precocious talent to an ingenuity and groundbreaking modernity that shall never be repeated.

“It shall often be imitated, but it will never be replicated. Michael Jackson was, and shall always remain, one of a kind.”

Unveiled

The statue, which will stand next to the Riverside and Hammersmith stands at the ground, will be unveiled on Sunday, 3rd April, before Fulham’s home Premier League game against Blackpool.

This news is bizarre indeed. Leeds have a statue of the great Billy Bremner, whilst Manchester United chose Sir Matt Busby. Nottingham Forest honoured Brian Clough and Liverpool could have nobody other than Shanks.

Fulham have chosen…Michael Jackson!

Problems

There is no doubting what Al Fayed said about the impact of Michael Jackson’s music around the world and for all I know, he might be right about him being a bloody nice bloke as well. The problems are that, firstly, there are other matters rightly or wrongly associated with wacko Jacko that don’t sit too comfortably with many people and secondly, he has got absolutely nothing to do with football or Fulham!

Fulham fans must be hoping that their strange, if benevolent, chairman has a change of heart over this. It may not be right for football fans to behave like kids but it is absolutely certain that if this statue is put up, Fulham will become a laughing stock.