PREVIEW: Blues v Fulham F.C.

Last updated : 15 July 2008 By Shrimpers24


v Fulham's crest since 2000.


Tuesday July 15 19.45KO 15quid for Adults, a fiver for everyone else.

Expect a strong Blues line up tonight as Fulham boss Roy Hodgson has promised to bring down his full first team squad. Certainly more like the old 'A' team starting, minus Darryl and Mark of course, but giving the Roots Hall faithful a first look at Mildenhall, Sankofa and Furlong along with a couple of trailists.

We have played them 25 matches in total: Winning 8 Drawing 5 Losing 12

The first game with Fulham was way back in 1928 when we lost 0-1 at home in Division 3 South. The last competitive match up was ten years ago in Feb. 98 when we lost again, 0-2, at Craven Cottage in the old Division Two.

On a happier note the home game of that 97/98 season was won 1-0, Lewis the scorer. However, many may remember the afternoon on the banks of the Thames on Feb. 23 1991 when Benjamin, Martin and Ansah all scored in an amazing 3-0 result.

Fulham were founded in 1879, they celebrated their 125th anniversary in 2004, and they will be playing in the top tier of English football, the FA Premiership. Had it not been for the intervention of millionaire Mohammed Al-Fayed, they would still be languishing in the depths of the lower divisions of professional football.

Danny Murphy

Danny Murphy, the hero of Craven Cottage, should be on show at the Hall to-night.

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 complimented 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 March 16th, 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 4 of their remaining 5 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 2-3 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 3 consecutive victories in the Premier League, much less 3 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.

In a bizarre twist of fate, Fulham very nearly qualified for the UEFA Cup through the Fairplay competition. Going into the final day, Fulham were 7th in the Fairplay table, however the top 5 clubs had already qualified for Europe by other means and the Manchester City side narrowly ahead of Hodgson's team had defender Richard Dunne red-carded against Middlesbrough. When the final table was published several days after the season's conclusion, Fulham had missed out on qualification by a mere .8 of a point. Fulham did top the Fans' Fairplay League though, which they have won in successive seasons.

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 May 22, 2008. On May 28, 2008, the club announced that captain and club legend Brian McBride would not renew his contract and would be returning to his homeland. On June 12 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 Wanderers 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.

1907 - Southern League Champions
1907 - Admission to The Football League as Southern League Champions
1908 - FA Cup Semi-Finalists
1932 - Division Three (South) Champions
1936 - FA Cup Semi-Finalists
1949 - Division Two Champions
1958 - FA Cup Semi-Finalists
1959 - Promotion From Division Two
1962 - FA Cup Semi-Finalists
1970 - Promotion From Divison Three
1975 - FA Cup Finalists
1975 - Anglo-Scottish Cup Finalists
1982 - Promotion From Division Three
1997 - Promotion From Division Three
1999 - Division Two Champions
2001 - Division One Champions
2002 - FA Cup Semi-Finalists
2002 - Intertoto Cup Winners





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