Fulham ordered to perform Michael Jackson Moonwalk goal celebration as statue is unveiled

01 April 2011 12:57
EXCLUSIVEIn the countdown to Fulham's controversial unveiling of the Michael Jackson statue, Sportsmail can reveal the extraordinary lengths the club are going to in order to mark the occasion. [LNB]Club officials have secretly organised a series of mini tributes for Sunday's match against Blackpool at Craven Cottage that could further anger the Fulham fans who are already fuming over the statue that has been erected outside the ground. [LNB] Although the match is hardly the highlight of the weekend's Barclays Premier League fixture list, the special Jacko plans could ensure it is talked about for years to come.[LNB] Off The Wall: Fulham's players have spent the week honing their dance moves[LNB]Sportsmail can reveal that every member of Fulham's first-team squad have been told they must celebrate any goals in Sunday's clash by performing the Moonwalk in front of the home fans. [LNB]Although the order initially went down like a lead balloon, it is believed the players have now warmed to the idea and have been enthusiastically practising behind closed doors at their Motspur Park training base. [LNB] Huge Jacko fans Bobby Zamora and Clint Dempsey have taken charge of the sessions, with coaching staff barely able to hide their amusement while watching on. [LNB]Zamora has even called in Dagenham & Redbridge player Bas Savage, who is a YouTube sensation for his Moonwalk celebrations, to help out. [LNB][LNB]Legend: Michael Jackson[LNB]Bookmakers have now stopped taking bets on the Moonwalk being used by Fulham against Blackpool - despite initially offering odds of 16/1. [LNB]Yet, it is not just the players who are being roped in for the Jackson tributes. [LNB]Every home fan arriving at Craven Cottage on Sunday will find one white glove under their seat. [LNB]At the moment the two teams walk out before kick-off, each supporter will be asked to pull on the glove and point to the sky as a mark of respect to the late singer. [LNB]This will be the climax of an hour-long Jackson celebration leading up to the opening whistle.[LNB] They will scrap the usual pre-match entertainment to play an uninterrupted sequence of the star's greatest hits. [LNB]It is unclear whether long-serving matchday announcer 'Diddy' David Hamilton will now attend the game after his usual warm-up duties were scrapped for the day.[LNB]However, Fulham officials - who are anxious over a potential fans backlash - will be reassured by the response of the visiting team after an unnamed Blackpool player got whiff of Sunday's plans. [LNB]After informingmanager Ian Holloway - who is renowned for his sense of humour - they have decided to celebrate any Blackpool goals with the legendary zombie walk from Jackson's Thriller video. [LNB]To cap it off, Holloway also has a bet in place with his assistant manager Steve Thompson over how many Jackson song titles he can drop into the post-match TV interview. [LNB]With the match being screened live on TV at Sunday lunchtime, it is threatening to go down as the most bizarre in the history of the Premier League.[LNB] Jacko statue is not Wacko! Hughes defends Fulham's controversial plansHolloway backs Fulham's plans to erect a statue of 'icon' Michael Jackson 'Bad' idea or Thriller for Fulham? Club announce plans for Jacko statue [LNB]  Explore more:People: Ian Holloway, Bobby Zamora

Source: Daily_Mail