The Straits Times (Singapore)
January 10, 2010 Sunday

Watching and waiting;
After a great start in the English Premier League, Iran’s Teymourian
has become a forgotten man at Fulham

Terrence Voon

On a warm spring afternoon in Wigan three years ago, Andranik
Teymourian thought he could do no wrong.

The Iranian midfielder, a new signing for Sam Allardyce’s Bolton
Wanderers, had just written himself into the club’s folklore, scoring
two goals as they beat their derby rivals 3-1 in a Premiership tie at
the then-JJB Stadium.

Images of his goal celebrations, while being mobbed by ecstatic fans,
were played over and over again on Iranian television.

>From Teheran to the Reebok Stadium, Teymourian was hailed as a hero.
Now, he is a forgotten name on the wage bill at Fulham, a bit-part
player with his Premiership dream in tatters.

Last Wednesday, the 26-year-old orchestrated Iran’s destruction of the
Lions in their Asian Cup qualifier at Kallang.

He returns to Craven Cottage later this month, not knowing if he will
ever put on his boots for the first team again.

‘Most of the time I watch the games from the stands,’ he told The
Sunday Times last week. ‘I’m not involved with the team because the
first XI, to be honest with you, are doing so well.’

Fulham currently lie ninth in the league, and with midfielders like
Danny Murphy, Jonathan Greening and Chris Baird ahead of him in the
pecking order, Teymourian knows his days in London are numbered.

A move to another club, possibly outside the Premiership, is certain
in the summer.

‘I’m 26 now, and I don’t want to spend my time on the bench and watch
other people play,’ he said.

The Teheran native’s English adventure began in 2006, when he caught
the eye of Allardyce with his all-action performances at the World Cup
in Germany.

The skilful midfielder with an eye for goal was snapped up for
&pound255,000 (S $570,000) from Iranian club FC Aboomoslem on a
two-year contract.

In his two seasons at the Trotters, Teymourian made just 20
appearances, with his brace at Wigan the only goals to his name.

After Allardyce’s departure for Newcastle in 2007, he fell out of
favour with his replacement Sammy Lee, and subsequently, Gary Megson.

Teymourian was picked up on a free transfer by Fulham in 2008, and has
since made just two cameos. Last year, he was farmed out to Barnsley
for three months, making 11 appearances for the Championship side.

The introduction to English football, he recalled, was fast and furious.

‘In the Premier League, you have to be stronger and faster,’ he said.
‘That’s what they work on at every single training session, and that’s
what makes the difference in every game.’

Despite enjoying the trappings of luxury as a Premiership footballer –
he owns a house in Wimbledon and a Chrysler 300 sedan – life at Fulham
is regimental.

Teymourian wakes up at 8am every day, and makes it to the training
ground by 10.30am, where he works with the team till noon. An hour in
the gym is followed by lunch, where it is compulsory for players to
eat at the club kitchen.

‘If we don’t eat there, we are fined,’ he said.

The attention to detail, he said, is startling.

For instance, one of the five training pitches at Motspur Park is laid
with exactly the same kind of grass used at Craven Cottage. All
training sessions on the day before a home match are conducted there,
to give players a feel of the actual match day conditions.

A typical day ends at 4pm after another training session, and
Teymourian is usually in bed by 10.30pm.

On match days, players report to the stadium by 1.30pm for a 3pm
kick-off. For important ties against the likes of Manchester United or
Chelsea, they arrive an hour earlier than usual and are shown videos
of their opponents.

Despite his lack of playing time, Teymourian enjoys the camaraderie he
shares with the foreign legion at Fulham.

‘The good point of Fulham is that all the players are foreigners,’ he
said. ‘We have a couple of English players, people from Africa,
Norway, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland. All of them love to smile
and laugh.’

When Fulham recorded a crushing 3-0 home win over the Red Devils last
month, the squad were given special leave by Hodgson to go out and
celebrate.

‘We went back to the hotel and then went to the disco,’ he recalled.
‘We had a really good time.’

The ethnic Armenian’s command of English has also improved in the time
he has spent in England. Sadly, his chances in the first team do not
look like improving.

His day in the sun three years ago, when he was voted Man of the
Match, is now a distant memory.

But Teymourian – who is planning to marry his Armenian girlfriend
Narineh Davitian at the end of this season – insists he does not
regret his time in England.

‘For me, it has been really amazing, because I was young when I
arrived,’ he said. ‘I’ve learnt a lot and I’ve had a chance play
against a lot of good players.’

tvoon@sph.com.sg

A mini-United Nations

‘The good point of Fulham is that all the players are foreigners. We
have a couple of English players, people from Africa, Norway, Denmark,
Germany and Switzerland. All of them love to smile and laugh.’