Fulham F.C.

Fulham

Full name	Fulham Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Cottagers, The Whites, The Lilywhites
Founded	1879 (as Fulham St Andrew's Church Sunday School)
Ground	Craven Cottage Fulham, London
Capacity	25,678
Chairman	Mohamed Al-Fayed
Manager	Roy Hodgson
League	Premier League
2008–09	Premier League, 7th
Home colours Away colours

Fulham Football Club (Template:Pron-en) is an English professional football club based in Fulham, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. Founded in 1879, they celebrated their 125th anniversary in 2004, and are in the top tier of English football, the Premier League. Fulham are the oldest professional football team in London, usually considered to have been founded in 1879 (though the semi-professional Cray Wanderers F.C. are the oldest team in London still in existence).

The club spent much time in the old First Division through the 1960s, but are yet to gain any major honours. In 1975, as a Second Division team, they contested the FA Cup final for the only time in their history, losing 2–0 to West Ham United, the Fulham side that day containing former Hammer's great Bobby Moore. Fulham qualified for the UEFA Cup in 2002 by winning the Intertoto Cup, beating Bologna 5–3 in the final over two legs. In the UEFA Cup, they won through two rounds before being defeated by Hertha Berlin. In the mid-1990s they had a brief spell in the former Fourth Division, but within less than a decade, they advanced into the top flight. No doubt their new millionaire chairman, Mohamed Al-Fayed played a crucial role. In 2009, Fulham had their highest-ever finish in the top-flight, coming 7th to qualify for Europe once again.

The club has produced many British greats including Johnny Haynes, George Cohen, Bobby Robson, Rodney Marsh and Alan Mullery. They play at the historic Craven Cottage, their home since 1896, a riverside ground on the banks of the River Thames in Fulham, having spent two years at Loftus Road while Craven Cottage was undergoing renovations to bring it up to Premier League standards. The club's training ground is located near Motspur Park (and was where Chariots of Fire among others was filmed), where Fulham's Academy is also situated, including a mini-stadium where the reserves play.

History

See also: Fulham F.C. seasons

1879–1898: Amateur days

Fulham started its existence in 1879 as Fulham St Andrew's Church Sunday School F.C., founded by worshippers at the Church of England on Star Road, West Kensington (St Andrew's, Fulham Fields). Fulham's mother church still stands today with a plaque commemorating the team's foundation. They won the West London Amateur Cup in 1887 and, having shortened the name to its present form in 1888, they then won the West London League in 1893 at the first attempt. One of the club's first ever kits was half red, half white shirts with white shorts worn in the 1886-7 season. Fulham started playing at their current ground Craven Cottage in 1896, their first game against now defunct rivals Minerva F.C.

1898–1907: Southern League

Years	League
1898-03	Southern League Division 2
1903-07	Southern League Division 1

The club gained professional status on 12 December 1898, in the same year that they were admitted into the Southern League's 2nd division. They adopted a kit very similar to modern Arsenal colours in this period, which was worn during the 1900-01 season. In 1902-03 they won promotion from this division, entering the Southern League 1st Division. The club's first recorded all-white club kit came in 1903, and ever since then the club has been playing in all-white shirts and black shorts, with socks going through various evolutions of black and/or white, but are now normally white-only. The club won the Southern League twice, in 1905-06 and 1906-07.Link

1907–1949: Into the Football League

1907-28	Football League Div. 2	(Level 2)
1928-32	Football League Div. 3S	(Level 3)
1932-49	Football League Div. 2	(Level 2)

Fulham gained admission to the national Football League after the second of their Southern League triumphs. The club's first ever league game, playing in the 2nd Division's 1907-8 season, saw them losing 1-0 at home to Hull City on 3 September 1907. The first win came a few days later on 7 September 1907 at Derby County's Baseball Ground, by a score line of 1-0. When they eventually found their feet in the division they impressed, ending up only three points short of promotion in 4th place. However, this was the best season they had in their twenty one year stay in that division, and after only winning 13 out of 42 games in the 1927-28 season Fulham were relegated to the 3rd Division South, which was created in 1920.

A highlight of that first season was an 8-3 away win at Luton Town in an FA Cup game. The club actually managed to reach the semi-finals of that tournament, where they were humbled 6-0 by Newcastle United. This is still a record loss for an FA Cup semi-final game. A couple of years later the club won the London Challenge Cup in the 1909-10 season.

During this period, businessman and politician Henry Norris was the club chairman and curiously he had an indirect role in the foundation of Fulham's local rivals Chelsea F.C.. When he rejected an offer from businessman Gus Mears to move Fulham to land where the present-day Chelsea stadium Stamford Bridge is situated, Mears decided to create his own team to occupy the ground. In 1910, Norris started to combine his role at Fulham with the chairmanship of Arsenal.

After finishing 5th, 7th and 9th (out of 22 teams) in their first three seasons in the 3rd Division South, Fulham won the division in the 1931-32 season. In doing so they beat Torquay United 10-2, won 24 out of 42 games and scored 111 goals, thus being promoted back to the Second Division. The next season they missed out on a second consecutive promotion, finishing 3rd behind Tottenham Hotspur and Stoke City. A mixed bag of league performances followed, although the club also reached another FA Cup semi-final during the 1935-36 season. On 8 October 1938 Craven Cottage saw its all-time highest attendance at a match against Millwall FC, with a crowd of 49,335 watching the game.

League and cup football were severely disrupted by the outbreak of World War II in 1939, with the Football League split into regional divisions temporarily, with a national Football League War Cup and a London War Cup up for grabs. Post-war, a full league programme was only restored for 1946-47. In the 3rd season of what is now considered the modern era of football, Fulham finished top of the Second Division, with a win-loss-draw record of 24-9-9 (identical to that which won them the 3rd Division South 17 years previously).

1949–1969: First Division Cottagers

Promotion to the top tier of English football saw the club perform poorly, finishing 17th in their first year and 18th in their second. In only their third season of First Division football, Fulham finished rock bottom of the 22-team league in the 1951-52 season, winning only 8 of 42 games. On 20 May 1951, Fulham played one of their first ever games in North America in an exhibition match against Celtic F.C. at Delorimier Stadium in Montreal in front of 29,000.

1949-52	Football League Div. 1	(Level 1)
1952-59	Football League Div. 2	(Level 2)
1959-68	Football League Div. 1	(Level 1)
1968-69	Football League Div. 2	(Level 2)

A few seasons of mediocrity in the 2nd Division followed, but then the club reached the FA Cup semi-finals in 1958 and used this momentum to win promotion back to the 1st Division in the following season, having finished 2nd to Sheffield Wednesday. Also joining Fulham in 1958 was Graham Leggat, who went on to score 134 goals in 277 appearances, (making him the club's fifth all-time top scorer). In the 1959-60 season they achieved 10th position in the 1st Division, which until finishing 9th in the FA Premier League 2003-04 was their highest ever league position. This accompanied another appearance in the last four of the FA Cup in 1962.

By this time the club were regularly playing in front of 30,000 plus crowds at Craven Cottage, despite struggling in the League. The club experienced several close escapes from relegation none more spectacular than in 1965-66. On the morning of 26 February 1966 Fulham had just 15 points from 29 matches. The last 13 games saw Fulham win 9 and draw 2 to reach safety. Eventually the club suffered relegation in the 1967-68 season having won just 10 out of their 42 games. However even that was not as catastrophic as the calamity of next season. Winning only 7 in 42, the club were again relegated to the 3rd Division. (Note that this is not the same as the 3rd Division South, as the regional 3rd Divisions had been removed with the 1959 creation of the 4th Division).

It is impossible to talk about Fulham's history without mentioning probably the single most influential character in Fulham's history: Johnny Haynes. 'Mr. Fulham' or 'The Maestro' as he later came to be known signed for The Cottagers as a schoolboy in 1950, making his first team debut on Boxing Day 1952 against Southampton at Craven Cottage. Haynes played for another 18 years, notching up 657 appearances (along with many other club records too), his last appearance for Fulham coming on the 17 January 1970. He is often considered as the greatest player in Fulham history, and never played for another team in Britain. He gained 52 caps for England (22 as captain), with many being earned while playing for Fulham in the Second Division. Haynes was injured in a car accident in Blackpool in 1962, but by his own admissions never regained the fitness or form to play for England again, missing out on England's victory in the 1966 World Cup which he would have stood a chance of being selected for. The Stevenage Road Stand was re-named in his honour after his death in a car crash in 2005.

1970–1994: Mixed fortunes outside the top flight

A minute's silence for Jim Langley

The aforementioned 3rd Division hiatus lasted only two seasons though, they were then promoted back to the Second Division as runners-up in 1970-71. This spell also saw Fulham invited to the not particularly prestigious Anglo-Italian Cup, which saw the club draw four out of four games in two appearances in tournament between 1972 and 1974. Thus started of a period of high-profile signings for the club under Alec Stock in the mid-70s, including Alan Mullery and Bobby Moore. The reward of this was their only ever FA Cup final in 1975, having won their first semi-final in five attempts. The club then lost to West Ham in the final. This gained the club qualification to another low-key European tournament, the Anglo-Scottish Cup, where they made the final, losing to Middlesbrough.

That run in the FA Cup saw the setting of an improbable record, that of the most games needed to reach the final, Fulham playing 11 games including replays. In the build up to the 12th game, the Wembley final, Tony Rees and The Cottagers released a single, "Viva el Fulham" (based on Manolo Escobar's "Y viva España") which is still played (and occasionally chanted) at Fulham games. It reached No.46 in the Pop Charts in 1975. The club set another record in the 70s, when they took part in the first ever British league game to be played on a Sunday against Millwall F.C. in 1974, which was staged at The Den.

1969-71	Football League Div. 3	(Level 3)
1971-80	Football League Div. 2	(Level 2)
1980-82	Football League Div. 3	(Level 3)
1982-86	Football League Div. 2	(Level 2)
1986-94	Football League Div. 3/2	(Level 3)

George Best played 47 times for the club in the 1976-77 season. Rodney Marsh, who having grown up with Fulham in the 60s went on to play 1st Division football and play for England, rejoined the club in the same season, playing only 16 games. This capped one of the most successful eras in Fulham history.

The hangover from this meant the club were relegated again after winning only 11 in 42 in the 1979-80 season, which saw Bobby Campbell's sacking to be replaced by Malcolm Macdonald. With a strong squad during his 1980-84 period in charge (with players such as Ray Houghton, Tony Gale, Paul Parker, Gerry Peyton and Ray Lewington), they won promotion again in 1981-82 back to Division 2. In 1980, Fulham founded the rugby league club that is now Harlequins Rugby League designed to be an extra stream of income for the football club. Then called 'Fulham Rugby League', they played at Craven Cottage until moving away from the parent club in 1984.

Fulham narrowly missed out on back-to-back promotions, to the First Division losing 1-0 to Derby away on the last day of the 1982-83 season - although the match was abandoned after 88 mins due to a pitch invasion. The side which had shown so much promise was gradually sold off and broken up as the club had debts to pay off, so it was little surprise when the club were relegated again to the Third Division in 1986. The club nearly went out of business in 1987 and the same year saw the break-down of an ill-advised merger attempt with QPR. It was only the intervention of ex-player Jimmy Hill that allowed the club to stay in business as a re-structured 'Fulham FC 1987 Ltd.' In 1987 the club took part in what was one of the longest penalty shoot-outs recorded - it needed 28 spot kicks to sort out a winner between them and Aldershot following a Freight Rover Trophy match.

In 1992 the foundation of the Premier League saw Fulham's division of the time, the 3rd Division, re-named the 2nd Division. (There is a joke amongst football fans that at the end of the 1991-92 season they started to celebrate promotion, before realising all that had happened was that the FA had changed the numbers :-) However the club were relegated from that to the new 3rd Division after a poor 1993-94 season, seeing the club in the basement of the Football League, with Ian Branfoot appointed as new manager.

1994-96: Fulham's lowest ebb

1994-97	Football League Div. 3	(Level 4)

After a 8th place finish in Branfoot's first season in charge the club hit its historical rock bottom with its performance in the 1995-96 season, finishing 17th out of 24. This season included a loss against Torquay United, who were at the time rock bottom of the Division, with Fulham just one place above them. Branfoot was soon sacked as Manager, but remained at the club in other capacities for a short while.

However, in February 1996 the club appointed then-player Micky Adams as manager, and it was in the summer of that year that his revolution really took off. That signalled the start of the new era of Fulham Football Club.

File:Fulham arms.png

Fulham's badge in the 80's and 90's prior to Al Fayed's change

Micky Adams was appointed as manager and oversaw an upturn in form that lifted the side out of what little relegation danger was present. The next season he engineered a complete turnaround in form and his side, captained by Simon Morgan, finished second - only missing out on first place due to the league dropping the old "goal difference" system in favour of a "goals scored" tally. (While Fulham's goal difference was one better than that of champions Wigan Athletic, they scored twelve fewer goals.) This was somewhat ironic, as the club's then Chairman Jimmy Hill, had successfully argued that goals scored should decide places of teams tied on points while sitting on an FA panel.

1997–2001: Al Fayed's revolution

1997-99	Football League Div. 2	(Level 3)
1999-01	Football League Div. 1	(Level 2)
2001-	Premier League	(Level 1)

Millionaire Mohamed Al-Fayed purchased the club that summer and fired Adams in the aftermath of a poor start. He installed a two-tier management "dream team" of Ray Wilkins (as First Team Manager) and Kevin Keegan (as Chief Operating Officer), pledging that the club would reach the Premier League within five years.

After an argument over team selection, Wilkins left the club in May 1998 to hand over the full managerial duties to Keegan, who steered the club to a spectacular promotion the next season, winning 101 points out of a possible 138, after splashing £1.1 million to sign Paul Peschisolido from West Brom who was top scorer and captained by Chris Coleman - then the most expensive footballer outside the top two divisions of the English league. Keegan then left to become manager of the England team, and veteran player Paul Bracewell was put in charge.

Bracewell was sacked in March 2000, as Fulham's promising early season form dwindled away to mid-table mediocrity. Frenchman Jean Tigana was put in charge and having signed a number of young stars, including French striker Louis Saha, he guided Fulham to their third promotion in five seasons in the 2000-01 season in emphatic style, scoring 27 goals in 46 games. That gave Fulham top flight status for the first time since 1968, which had only taken four years - one shorter than Al Fayed's pledge. During this season club captain and subsequent manager, Chris Coleman, was involved in a car crash which put him out of action for well over a year and eventually ended his playing career after he failed to make a sufficient recovery. Fulham's run through the divisions saw many players come and go, but the only player to play for the club in all four leagues was Sean Davis, indeed he is one of few players to ever have played in all four divisions of professional football with one team.

2001-03: Premier League debut

2001–02 season

Despite some scepticism, Fulham were widely tipped to take the Premier League by storm, with many pundits predicting a challenge for the UEFA cup or even Champions League places, but their first Premier League season was largely underwhelming; despite a couple of good games and some flashes of brilliance, the end product was a respectable 13th place finish. Fulham remain the only team in this millennium to host top-flight football with some standing areas. Due to restrictions on standings, Fulham decamped to Loftus Road, during the 2002-3 and 2003-4 seasons while their own stadium was rebuilt, but then returned to Craven Cottage.

2002–03 season

Fulham (White) playing Portsmouth (Blue) in front of Fulham fans in the Hammersmith End

The following season saw Fulham dangerously close to the relegation zone, and chairman Mohammed Al Fayed told Tigana that his contract would not be renewed at the end of the season. But an awful run of results, culminating in a 4-0 home defeat by Blackburn Rovers led him to be sacked before the season came to an end with relegation desperately near. Jean Tigana made the club's record signing, buying Steve Marlet from Olympique Lyonnais for £11.5 million. He failed to live up to expectations playing only 54 league games in 3 years, and scoring only 11 goals. He was loaned out to Olympique de Marseille for 18 months when Coleman took over, with his sizeable contract still being paid by the English team, before it eventually expired.

2003–2007: Chris Coleman at the helm

Chris Coleman took charge for five games at the end of that (2002-03) season, earning Fulham 10 points out of a possible 15 and preserving a place in the Premier League for the next season.

2003–04 season

Coleman was given the manager's job on a permanent basis in the summer of 2003 and despite predictions that the inexperience of Coleman would result in Fulham's relegation, he kept the club well clear of relegation, guiding them to a club record ninth place finish in his debut season. This might have been greater had the club not come under significant financial pressure to sell Louis Saha to Manchester United, for which they received a club record £13 million. The final day of the season saw them win 2–0 away to Bolton.

Van der Sar and Malbranque at Fulham

2004–05 season

Coleman notched up another impressive performance in the 2004–05 season and guided Fulham to a secure 13th place finish.

2005–06 season

The 2005–06 season proved a tougher affair, but safety was once again mathematically assured with three games left of the season and a 1–0 win over Wigan Athletic. There were three relative high points in an inconsistent season: a 6-1 rout of West Bromwich Albion, a 1–0 win over rivals and champions Chelsea in the West London derby, and a 2–0 win over 2005 European champions Liverpool F.C. Fulham's home form was the best outside the top six, with 12 wins from 18 games, while their away form was the worst in the entire league with one win and four draws from 18 games. A game they were winning away 1–0, versus Sunderland, was abandoned after 21 minutes because of persistent snowfall. Finally, on 29 April 2006, Fulham achieved a first away victory of the campaign with a 2-1 win over Manchester City F.C. Despite the difficulties experienced throughout this season, Fulham achieved a 12th place finish — an improvement on the previous campaign.

2006–07 season

Fulham playing in light blue against Bolton in the FA Cup 2005

Fulham did not get off to a good start in 2006–07, losing their first match 5-1 to Manchester United at Old Trafford. This result consigned them to the foot of the table and left them as the season's favourites for early relegation contenders with the bookies; but then recovered well and were riding as high as 8th at one point in December 2006.

During the January transfer window Coleman added Russian midfielder Alexey Smertin, American winger Clint Dempsey, and Welsh compatriot Simon Davies to the squad, and captured exciting loan signing Vincenzo Montella. Between mid-December and May however, Fulham only won a single game, a 2-1 victory over Newcastle United. In the same time period Fulham drew 9 games and lost 4. Additionally Fulham were dumped meekly out of the FA Cup 4–0 by Tottenham Hotspur. On the 10 April 2007, following defeats at the hands of Manchester City (3-1) and Everton (4-1) Fulham Football Club terminated the contracts of Chris Coleman and Steve Kean with immediate effect, while Northern Ireland manager Lawrie Sanchez and Les Reed were put in temporary charge.

2007: Sanchez's struggle

Sanchez didn't have the immediate impact that the Fulham board would have hoped for. With 5 games to save the season, Sanchez managed only a point from the first 3; a home-draw against Blackburn Rovers sandwiched between away defeats to Reading and Arsenal. In Sanchez's fourth game, Fulham took on Liverpool, who were preparing for the UEFA Champions League final against A.C. Milan. Liverpool's manager Rafael Benítez made 9 changes to his starting 11 for the game, much to the annoyance of fellow strugglers Sheffield United and West Ham United. Fulham defeated the second-string Liverpool side 1-0 on a second half Clint Dempsey goal, earning Sanchez his first victory and ensuring safety for Fulham. They finished the season with a 3-1 defeat away to Middlesbrough.

2007–08 season

Despite a return of just 4 points from a possible 15, Sanchez had retained Fulham's top-flight status and was rewarded for his efforts with a permanent contract, subsequently resigning as Northern Ireland manager on on Friday 11 May 2007.

Sanchez received strong financial backing from the board and made a number of signings during the summer-break. The most expensive of these additions was striker Diomansy Kamara, a £6 million signing from Championship outfit West Brom. However, the majority of Sanchez's purchases were players from the Northern Ireland set-up, including Steven Davis, David Healy, Aaron Hughes and Chris Baird.

Fulham showed signs of improvement from the previous season and were unfortunate not to start the 2007–08 season with a victory, after leading Premier League title contenders Arsenal for 84 minutes at the Emirates Stadium. Healy opened his Fulham account taking advantage of a mistake by the Gunners' keeper Jens Lehmann in the opening minute. However Robin Van Persie replied from the penalty spot before Belarusian Alexander Hleb added the winner in the 90th minute. Fulham brushed aside this disappointment to beat Bolton Wanderers 2-1 in the following match. Despite defensive frailties, the Whites had begun their first-full season under Sanchez by playing attractive, attacking football. However, this Fulham team was cursed by bad luck, and, as Sanchez was quick to point out, dubious referee decisions. In their third fixture of the season, at home to Gareth Southgate's Middlesbrough, striker and club captain McBride was seriously injured in the process of opening the scoring, before Tony Warner's mistake allowed 'Boro back into the game. Fulham's misery and Sanchez's fury was compounded when Healy's injury time strike was incorrectly ruled out by the linesman, despite clearly crossing the goal-line.

Following this result, Fulham registered several draws, including two six-goal thrillers against Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City. Both games showcased the good and bad aspects of Fulham's play under Sanchez - incisive attacking football undone by continued poor defending. Sanchez attempted a more direct style of play to grab an elusive win but his squad were ill-suited to long ball football. Though the former Wimbledon defender oversaw a second win of the campaign at home to Reading, he was dismissed on 21 December 2007, with Fulham in the relegation zone. His case was not helped by the number of championship-quality players he signed and his reliance on a high-defensive line, despite employing relatively slow personnel.

Roy Hodgson and the great escape

Main article: Fulham Season 2007-08

File:Fulham Man United.jpg

Fulham in white playing against Manchester United in March 2008

Roy Hodgson was named as the new manager of Fulham on 28 December 2007, and took up his contractual duties on 30 December 2007, just two days before the January transfer window opened. The squad's spine was strengthened with the signings of Brede Hangeland, Leon Andreasen, Eddie Johnson, Erik Nevland and veteran former Liverpool striker, Jari Litmanen. Canadian captain and right-back Paul Stalteri and Finland's Toni Kallio were also signed on loan from Tottenham Hotspur and Young Boys, respectively. This new look squad was complemented by the return of key players and fan favourites Brian McBride and Jimmy Bullard. Both would prove to be hugely influential in Fulham's end-of-season run-in.

Hodgson's tenure started with a 2-1 loss to Chelsea on New Year's Day, followed by a goalless draw with Bolton Wanderers at the Reebok Stadium before he claimed his first win five days later against Aston Villa, courtesy of a trademark Bullard free-kick. Despite this positive start, Fulham struggled to build momentum and their form remained patchy throughout March. Hodgson did however add a second victory on 16 March 2008, against an Everton side chasing the fourth and final UEFA Champions League qualification spot. Former Toffees Simon Davies and McBride combined, with the latter heading home to secure a 1–0 win at Craven Cottage.

Again however, Fulham failed to maintain a consistent run of form following a victory. A drab 3-1 home defeat at the hands of Roy Keane's Sunderland side left Hodgson on the verge of tears in the post-match press conference and many pundits writing off Fulham's survival chances. Fans contended that although Hodgson's side were markedly improved defensively, and retained possession much better than under either Coleman or Sanchez, with aesthetically pleasing football, a lack of fire power up-front and the failure to settle on a first-choice 11 had hurt the team and caused vital points to be dropped.

Despite the negative press Hodgson continued to believe survival was attainable and rallied his team to win four of their remaining five games and secure their Premier League position for the 2008–09 season. This incredible run of form started with a first away win in 34 attempts against relegation rivals Reading. However, for many fans the turning point of the season came two games later, against Manchester City. Fulham trailed 2–0 at half-time and due to results in other fixtures, were mathematically relegated. However the introduction of the much maligned Diomansy Kamara heralded the start of a fantastic comeback. Kamara struck twice as Fulham registered 3-2 victory and second consecutive away win.

This result set the scene for a "six-pointer" against fellow strugglers Birmingham City at Craven Cottage. McBride and Erik Nevland struck to lift Fulham out of the relegation zone for the first time in months and leave survival in the club's own hands.

Barring a goal-rush from Reading, a win against a Portsmouth side looking ahead to their first FA Cup Final appearance in 69 years would guarantee survival. This however would be no easy feat. Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp, himself a survivor of several relegation scrapes (West Ham in 1995 and 1997 as well as Portsmouth in 2006), promised to field a full-strength side. More importantly Fulham had never recorded three consecutive victories in the Premier League, much less three consecutive away wins. Fulham's fans travelled to Fratton Park expecting a tense final-day and they weren't disappointed. In fact, with 15 minutes to play Fulham were again mathematically relegated with Birmingham City and Reading leading comfortably. However Kamara earned Fulham a free-kick with 76 minutes played, and Bullard's delivery found Danny Murphy who headed home the decisive goal, sparking manic celebrations from the travelling fans. Hodgson had ensured survival against all odds, breaking several club records in the process and cementing his place in Fulham folklore.

2008–09 season

Main article: Fulham F.C. season 2008-09

After Fulham's relegation escape, Hodgson spoke of the need to ensure Fulham never found themselves in such a precarious position again. He struck early during the summer transfer window to claim the signing of experienced, Australian goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer on a free from Middlesbrough on 22 May 2008. On 28 May 2008, the club announced that captain and club legend Brian McBride would not renew his contract and would be returning to USA to play for the Chicago Fire. On 12 June Fulham added the signing of Andranik Teymourian to its summer acquisitions. The 25-year-old Armenian-Iranian defensive midfielder has played most recently for Bolton and the Iran national football team. Zoltan Gera was also added to the squad earlier in the same month, after turning down a new contract with newly promoted West Bromwich Albion. In early July, Toni Kallio, whom Hodgson had signed on loan in January, signed a full contract with the club. On 15 July, Fulham announced the joint signing of Bobby Zamora and John Pantsil from London rivals West Ham. Next followed the saga of Andrew Johnson in which it was reported in the press on 29 June that Johnson (from Premier League rivals Everton) would be joining immediately for up to 12 million pounds. The transfer eventually happened more than a week later and at fees rising to almost 13 million, he is the second most expensive signing in Fulham's history, (after Steve Marlet), and was looking to make an impact along with the other 9 player Roy Hodgson signed in the 2008–09 season. The current captain is Danny Murphy.

Clint Dempsey (23), John Paintsil (4), and Andrew Johnson celebrate a goal against Middlesbrough

Fulham's start to the season was not fantastic: a 2-1 defeat away to Hull City. However, two home games in quick succession saw them record a surprise 1-0 victory over Arsenal, as well as a 2-1 win against Bolton Wanderers. They also beat Leicester City in the Carling Cup, but it was a nervy affair for Fulham, who won 3-2 after being 2-1 down with 7 minutes to go: Danny Murphy scored the winner in stoppage time. Four successive defeats, three of which were in the League to Blackburn Rovers, West Ham United and West Bromwich Albion saw Fulham slide down the table: the other defeat, away to Burnley, saw them go out of the Carling Cup. Two draws against Sunderland and Portsmouth helped to stop the rot, and a 2-0 home win against Wigan Athletic was crucial. Fulham then somehow contrived to lose away to Everton, but they rectified this by defeating both Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur at Craven Cottage. The win against Spurs was particularly noteworthy, as Roy Hodgson's side became the first to beat Tottenham under their new manager Harry Redknapp. Two 0-0 draws away to Liverpool and Aston Villa saw them rise to 10th in the table, and they have already picked up over half their points tally of last season. Their 1-1 draw at home with Manchester City, followed by their 0-0 draw away at Stoke City mean that they are now unbeaten in six matches. Following the Stoke match, Fulham had a very comfortable 3-0 win against Boro. Despite not winning either of their next two fixtures, the Christmas period was a satisfactory one for Fulham: on Boxing Day they drew 0-0 away to Tottenham (the year before they had lost 5-1 in the same fixture on the same day), and two days later they snatched a dramatic draw at home to their local rivals Chelsea, with both goals coming from American Clint Dempsey. This saw them cement their place in mid-table, where they still remain at 9th position in the third week of March 2009, a month in which they have had mixed results, losing 1-2 to lowly ranked Blackburn Rovers and 0-1 to Hull City, but sensationally prevailing 2-0 on 21 March 2009 at Craven Cottage against Premier League defending champions and 2008-09 leaders Manchester United, who had two players, Paul Scholes and Wayne Rooney sent off. The goals for Fulham were scored by Danny Murphy and Zoltan Gera. Earlier in the season, the team reached the quarter finals of the FA Cup, eventually losing at home to Manchester United. Fulham finished the season in seventh place allowing them to enter the recently re-named Europa League for only the second time in their history.

Current management

Position	Name	Nationality
Manager:	Roy Hodgson	English
Assistant Manager/Goalkeeping Coach:	Mike Kelly	English
First Team Coach:	Ray Lewington	English
Development Squad Coach:	Billy McKinlay	Scottish
Head of Sports Medicine and Exercise Science	Mark Taylor	English
Strength/Conditioning	Scott Miller	Australian
First Team Doctor:	Steve Lewis	English
Fulham Academy Director:	Huw Jennings	Welsh
Senior Match Analyst:	Andy Scoulding	English

Players

First-team squad

As of 26 September 2009.

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
1	GK	AUS	Mark Schwarzer
2	DF	EIR	Stephen Kelly
3	DF	ENG	Paul Konchesky
4	DF	GHA	John Pantsil
5	DF	NOR	Brede Hangeland (vice-captain)
6	DF	NIR	Chris Baird
7	FW	KOR	Seol Ki-Hyeon
8	FW	ENG	Andrew Johnson
10	FW	NOR	Erik Nevland
11	MF	HUN	Zoltán Gera
12	GK	ENG	David Stockdale
13	MF	ENG	Danny Murphy (captain)
14	MF	IRN	Andranik
15	FW	SEN	Diomansy Kamara

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
16	MF	EIR	Damien Duff
17	MF	NOR	Bjørn Helge Riise
18	DF	NIR	Aaron Hughes (vice-captain)
19	GK	SUI	Pascal Zuberbühler
20	MF	NGA	Dickson Etuhu
21	FW	USA	Eddie Johnson
23	MF	USA	Clint Dempsey
25	FW	ENG	Bobby Zamora
26	DF	ENG	Chris Smalling
27	MF	ENG	Jonathan Greening (on loan from West Bromwich Albion)
29	MF	WAL	Simon Davies
33	DF	FIN	Toni Kallio
34	MF	RSA	Kagisho Dikgacoi
35	FW	SWE	David Elm

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
22	DF	SWE	Fredrik Stoor (at Derby County until 26 October 2009)

Reserve squad

As of 2 October 2009.

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
24	MF	ENG	Robert Milsom
31	MF	ENG	Matthew Saunders
32	FW	NED	Danny Hoesen
36	DF	ENG	Joe Anderson
37	DF	ENG	Matthew Briggs
38	GK	PHI	Neil Etheridge
39	GK	ENG	Wesley Foderingham

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
40	FW	NGA	Michael Uwezu
41	GK	ENG	Marcus Bettinelli
42	MF	ENG	Courtney Harris
43	MF	WAL	Reece Jones
44	DF	ENG	Keanu Marsh-Brown
45	DF	ENG	Alex Smith
—	MF	ITA	Luca Moscatiello

Numbers refer to players first team number for the 2009-10 season. Reserve and youth games are 1-11.

Out on loan

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
28	DF	ENG	Adam Watts (at Lincoln City until 2 January 2010)
30	MF	ENG	Wayne Brown (at TPS Turku until 31 October 2009)
--	DF	GER	Moritz Volz (at Ipswich Town)

Fulham in Europe

Fulham have twice qualified for European Competition, qualifying for the Intertoto Cup after their inaugural season in the Premier League, and the Europa League after their club-best seventh place finish in the 2008-09 Premier League season. Fulham have never lost at home in European Competition, with a home record of 7 wins and 4 draws.

Season	Competition	Round	Country	Club	Home Leg	Away Leg	Aggregate
2002/03	Intertoto Cup	Second Round		Haka	0-0	1-1	1-1
		Third Round		Egaleo	1-0	1-1	2-1
		Semi Final		Sochaux	1-0	0-2	3-0
		Final		Bologna	3-1	2-2	5-3
	UEFA Cup	First Round		Hajduk Split	2-2	0-1	3-2
		Second Round		Dinamo Zagreb	2-1	0-3	5-1
		Third Round		Hertha	0-0	2-1	1-2
2009/10	UEFA Europa League	Third Qualifying Round		Vėtra	3-0	0-3	6-0
		Play-Off Round		Amkar Perm	3-1	0-1	3-2
		Group Stage		FC Basel	1-0
				CSKA Sofia		1-1
				AS Roma	1-1

Group E

Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Basel 3 2 0 1 4 1 +3 6 Fulham 3 1 2 0 3 2 +1 5 Roma 3 1 1 1 3 3 0 4 CSKA Sofia 3 0 1 2 1 5 −4 1

BAS CSK FUL ROM Basel – 5 Nov 16 Dec 2–0 CSKA Sofia 0–2 – 1–1 16 Dec Fulham 1–0 3 Dec – 1–1 Roma 3 Dec 2–0 5 Nov –

Rivalries

Main article: West London derby

Fulham fans consider their main rivals to be Chelsea. Despite this fixture not being played that often in the years preceding Fulham's ascent to the top division, this is a clear local derby as Chelsea's ground, Stamford Bridge, is in Fulham. However, it is only recently that the two teams have been competing in the same league. Chelsea supporters also consider Fulham to be their main rival and also think of them as their traditional rivals, along with Tottenham.

Fulham consider their secondary rivalries to be with QPR and Brentford. Fulham last played QPR in the 2000-01 season and Brentford in the 1997-98 season. They also have small rivalries with other London clubs, including West Ham and Crystal Palace.

Outside of London, Gillingham are still considered rivals to Fulham despite the two clubs having played in different divisions for the past eight years. Fulham and Gillingham have been involved in several high-tempered matches in the lower leagues. The death of a Fulham fan outside Gillingham's Priestfield Stadium in 1998 has only served to intensify the bad relationship between the clubs' fans.

Managers

Fulham have so far had 29 managers at the club in 102 years, meaning that the average length of service for a Fulham manager is 3 years and 189 days. Prior to the appointment of the first manager at the club (Bradshaw in 1904), duties normally assigned to a modern day manager would have been shared between club secretary, captain and other officials.

Name From To Harry Bradshaw 1904 1909 Phil Kelso 1909 1924 Andy Ducat 1924 1926 Joe Bradshaw 1926 1929 Ned Liddell 1929 1931 Jimmy McIntyre 1931 1934 Jimmy Hogan 1934 1935 Jack Peart 1935 1948 Frank Osborne* 1948 1949 Bill Dodgin, Sr. 1949 1953 Frank Osborne* 1953 1956 Doug Livingstone 1956 1958 Bedford Jezzard 1958 1964 Vic Buckingham 1965 1968 Bobby Robson 1968 1968 Bill Dodgin, Jr. 1969 1972 Alec Stock 1972 1976 Bobby Campbell 1976 1980 Malcolm MacDonald 1980 1984 Ray Harford 1984 1986 Ray Lewington 1986 1990 Alan Dicks 1990 1991 Don Mackay 1991 1994 Ian Branfoot** 1994 1996 Micky Adams 1996 1997 Ray Wilkins 1997 1998 Kevin Keegan† 1998 1999 Paul Bracewell 1999 2000 Jean Tigana 2000 2003 Chris Coleman 2003 2007 Lawrie Sanchez‡ 2007 2007§ Roy Hodgson 2007 * Frank Osborne was employed continuously by the club from 1948 to 1963, but only spent the above periods as designated manager. ** Ian Branfoot continued to be employed by the club after his dismissal as manager. † Kevin Keegan was employed by the club as Chief Operating Officer (during which time he essentially acted as an Assistant Manager) during the time of his predecessor (Ray Wilkins) being the actual manager. ‡ Lawrie Sanchez took over as caretaker manager after the sacking of Chris Coleman and was named permanent manager after the club's safety from relegation was assured. § Lawrie Sanchez was sacked after less than a year by the Fulham board on the 21 December 2007 Managerial records: Only one man has managed the club through two different spells, Frank Osborne, in 1948-49 and then 1953-56. The longest spell as Fulham manager was by Phil Kelso, 15 years (1909–1924) Several managers have failed to last more than a year at the club: Bobby Robson, Alan Dicks, Ray Wilkins, Paul Bracewell and Lawrie Sanchez. Further to this, Frank Osborne only had a year after his initial arrival at the club during which he was principally in charge of the team (before Dodgin, senior) arrived, although he later took sole charge of the club for an extended period. Temporary managers at the club have included: Johnny Haynes: Took over after Sir Bobby Robson was fired in 1968 for only a handful of matches. The Maestro was offered the role permanently but had no inclination to become a manager. Karl-Heinz Riedle: when Paul Bracewell was fired half way through the 1999-2000 season, there was a temporary period of Fulham being managed by their striker Karl-Heinz Riedle, assisted his old boss at Liverpool, Roy Evans. Riedle injured a lung in the season's penultimate game - his last for the club. Chris Coleman: after Tigana resigned four months before planned in 2003, Chris Coleman was soon appointed as caretaker manager, much to the delight of the fans. Having initially denied he wanted the post, Coleman accepted the role of full-time manager that summer. Lawrie Sanchez: when Coleman was sacked, Sanchez came in to take control of the club for the remaining five games of the season. (See above) Ray Lewington: took temporary charge of Fulham for three games following Lawrie Sanchez's dismissal in December 2007. Grounds Between the years 1879 and when Fulham had a ground to call their own in 1896, they played at a number of stadiums, only some of which were recorded and this should not be regarded as a full or complete list. Only rivals and former landlords QPR has played at more more home stadiums. Some of the early grounds listed below are likely to have been park/parkland which has now been developed on. Even when the club purchased Craven Cottage and the surrounding land in 1894, they had to wait two years before they could play a game there. 1879 (possible first ground though records are inaccurate) - Hurlingham Park, Fulham 1879–1883 - Star Road, Hammersmith 1883–1884 - Eel Brook Common, Fulham 1884–1885 - Lillie Rec, Fulham 1885–1886 - Putney Lower Common, Putney 1886–1888 - Ranelagh House, Fulham 1888–1889 - Barn Elms Playing Fields, Barnes (the rugby fields are located across the Thames from Craven Cottage today) 1889–1891 - Parsons Green, Fulham and Roskell's Fields (next to Parsons Green tube station) 1891–1895 - Half Moon, Putney 1895–1896 - West Brompton 1896–2002 - Craven Cottage, Fulham 2002–2004 - Loftus Road, Shepherd's Bush (groundshare with Queens Park Rangers during Craven Cottage renovation) since 2004 - Craven Cottage (read the Craven Cottage article for future prospects of the ground.) Honours Second Division/First Division (now known as the Championship, the second tier of English football) Champions 1949, 2001 Runners-up 1959 Third Division (South)/Third Division/Second Division Champions 1932, 1999 Runners-up 1971 Third Division (a.k.a. fourth tier) Runners-up 1997 Southern League First Division 2 1905-06, 1906-07 Southern League Second Division 2 1902, 1903 Domestic Cups FA Cup Runners Up - 1975 Semi Finals - 1908, 1936, 1958, 1962, 2002 League Cup Best Performance (Quarter Finals) 1968, 1971, 2000, 2001, 2005 European Cups Anglo-Scottish Cup runners up Runners Up - 1975 Intertoto Cup 2002 Other Middlesex Senior Cup 1886 West London Cup 1886 West London Observer Cup 1891 London Challenge Cup 1910 Malaysian Touring Cup 1968 Statistics Main article: Fulham F.C. Statistics Club mascot controversy The Fulham FC club official mascot is Billy the Badger who was the winning design sent in by Kyle Jackson after an online competition by the club. Billy the Badger wears the number 79 Fulham shirt, in reference to the club's year of founding (1879). Controversy first surrounded Billy when he tried to cheer up Chelsea manager Avram Grant during a home match in front of the television cameras. Secondly, Billy was seen on television being sent off during the home game against Aston Villa on Sunday 3 February 2008, for breakdancing in the corner of the pitch after the referee had commenced the game. Billy blamed his badger hearing and eyesight for the incident, and apologised to referee Chris Foy. On Wednesday 11 March 2009 Billy walked across the goal during a match although it was not spotted by the referee. The former mascot for Fulham was Sir Craven of Cottage, the Knight. The cheerleaders were known as the Cravenettes, formerly the SW6ers. Notes External links Official website Official ticket partner Official ticket Exchange Fulham News - Sky Sports Supporters' Trust Fulhamweb.com latest fulham news - Unofficial website Fulham F.C. on BBC Sport: Club news – Recent results and fixtures vitalfootball.co.uk - Fulham FC Premierleague.com - Fulham FC [3]