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Title: Saturday Fulham Stuff (01.05.10)
Post by: White Noise on May 01, 2010, 06:21:36 AM
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/apr/30/fulham-europa-league-roy-hodgson

Fulham fans crave more of Hodgson fairytale

Euphoria at reaching Europa League final tinged with fear of losing inspirational manager


    *
      Comments (16)

    * Peter Walker
    * guardian.co.uk, Friday 30 April 2010 18.03 BST



Fulham manager Roy Hodgson. Photograph: Tom Jenkins

It was the morning after, and Bill Andrews's eyes were still misty with excitement. "My best ever night at Fulham? Yes, definitely," he said. "But then I've only been going there since the early 1930s, so what do I know?"

The 88-year-old had good reason to be thrilled by being at Craven Cottage on Thursday night to watch Fulham reach the Europa League final, having missed the west London club's only other stab at significant glory in a 130-year history. "I couldn't go to the 1975 FA Cup final," he said, sighing. "It was either that, or divorce the wife. We had a holiday booked. Holland, if I remember right."

In a Premier League season dogged by financial crisis and supporter discontent, Fulham's adventures have felt like a return to a more innocent era. Making only a second foray into European competition, the unfashionable club had seen off the Italian aristocrats of Juventus and Roma before accounting for Hamburg on Thursday.

Though occupying a valuable plot of land bordered on one side by the Thames and the other by £1m Edwardian family houses, they are among the humbler relations of the Premier League. With gate money from a 26,000-seat home ground not enough to support top-level football, they are bankrolled by Mohamed Al Fayed, the Harrods tycoon who bought the club in 1997.

David Lloyd, editor of independent fanzine There's Only One F in Fulham, says he has got used to seeing "little Fulham" metaphorically patted on the head: "We do get patronised but when you've been through the times we have at this club you learn to take that on the chin." After almost going bust in 1987, Fulham's low point, said Lloyd, came in 1996 when second-bottom of the lowest tier of English league football. They played bottom club Torquay, and lost.

The club's recent transformation from Premier League strugglers to European finalists is generally seen as down to Roy Hodgson, the vastly experienced, much-travelled manager who joined at the end of 2007. With his smart jackets, unflappably courteous manner and, in the memorable words of one Guardian sportswriter, the voice of an "honourable 1960s bank robber", Hodgson seems equally a product of a different era.

"He's incredible," said Ian Findlay, queueing up for tickets to the final on 12 May, outside the Grade II-listed Edwardian frontage of Craven Cottage. "He's so calm, and it's not just the players who respond to this, it's the fans too." Like many Fulham supporters, though, the 52-year-old graphic designer has a fear: that Hodgson could be tempted away. "I wouldn't be surprised if someone like Liverpool were on the phone to him right now," he said. Lloyd can see another scenario. In 1999, after guiding Fulham to successive promotions, Kevin Keegan left for the England job. Hodgson, 62, would be among the favourites to follow him should Fabio Capello step down after the World Cup.

"We've already given one of our managers to the nation," said Lloyd. "I wouldn't want to see it happen again."
Title: Re: Saturday Fulham Stuff (01.05.10)
Post by: White Noise on May 01, 2010, 06:25:39 AM
Click on the link to see some great old photo's -


http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/football/european_football/article7113314.ece


Everything is rosy in the Craven Cottage garden

Tom Dart

It was the 76th minute on Thursday when Zoltan Gera swivelled from seven yards out and shot Fulham into the Europa League final, just as it was 14 minutes from time on the final day of the 2007-08 season when Danny Murphy headed the winner against Portsmouth.

That kept Fulham in the top flight at the expense of Reading, who finished level on points but with a goal difference inferior by three. Given the contrasting circumstances between the matches, the timing of the goals appears the only common ground.

But in both Fulham's most significant games since they reached the top flight in 2001, the team found a will and a way to win when the odds were lengthening and the first-half performance had been stilted.

"We didn't give up, the boys did keep the faith, we've done it playing football and by getting results which we've deserved rather than stolen," Roy Hodgson said at Fratton Park almost two years ago after a third successive win completed the rescue mission.

The manager's words sound equally valid if applied to this Europa League campaign. Perhaps Fulham's ability to respond to the challenges of continental football was partly forged by the adversity they overcame when the target was avoiding the Coca-Cola Championship rather than hoisting a European trophy.

"I have been here since the manager first came in and as a team, we were really in a mess," Simon Davies, the winger, said. "We were struggling, conceding goal after goal. The first thing he worked on was our defensive shape, making us hard to beat and that carried us through to stay up, and we have gone on from there."

Now they are going to the HSH Nordbank Arena for the second time in three weeks. The 2-1 aggregate win over Hamburg means Fulham will meet Atlético Madrid on May 12 after the Spanish side knocked out Liverpool at Anfield on Thursday.

Bobby Zamora, the Fulham striker, came off shortly before the hour at Craven Cottage because of his recurrent Achilles tendon problem and is unlikely to feature at home to West Ham United tomorrow. That might have been a fraught encounter had West Ham needed points to stay up, because the club complained to the Premier League after Fulham's cup exploits prompted Hodgson to make six changes for a defeat by Hull City, West Ham's relegation rivals, on March 27.

Wolverhampton Wanderers were given a suspended £25,000 fine this season when they made ten changes for a game against Manchester United but the League cleared Fulham of any wrongdoing yesterday, saying in a statement that it felt "no breach of rules" had occurred. Hodgson will no doubt rotate again with impunity tomorrow and Zamora is entitled to a rest. He is a doubt for the final. "It's not great," he said of the injury. Will he make it? "I bloody hope so."

The 29-year-old is pleased to be meeting Atlético. "I think a lot of the boys would rather play them than Liverpool," he said.

That is understandable, despite the frisson an all-English tie would have generated — as well as making the self-styled best league on the planet feel a little better after some bruising outcomes in the Champions League.

"We play Liverpool every year and playing Atlético Madrid will be something different for us," Davies said.

There is more about Atlético to cheer Fulham than mere novelty value.

Atlético are mid-table in the Spanish league and have not so much marched to the final as shambled. Should they lift the trophy on May 12, it will be an achievement worthy of a trivia question. Which club took the inaugural Europa League despite winning only three games?

Atlético did not win a match in the Champions League group stage but finished third and were parachuted into the Europa League's round of 32. Now they are probably constructing a shrine to whoever invented the away-goals rule. Their record in the competition is: played eight, won two.

The aftershocks of Fulham's progress might be felt as far north as Lancashire. Fulham are in pole position to qualify for next season's Europa League via the Fair Play League, but if they win the trophy, they will be entered as holders and their Fair Play place would go to the next best- behaved English club: Burnley.

"It is a long shot," Brian Laws, the Burnley manager, said. Words Fulham have heard before; words they rendered meaningless on Thursday and two short, long years ago.

Fulham's hall of fame

Craven Cottage The most civilised and charming place in England to watch a game thanks to the riverside location and Archibald Leitch, the architect of the Johnny Haynes Stand and the Cottage itself.

Johnny Haynes England's captain after Billy Wright and before Bobby Moore, the club's most revered player turned down interest from bigger teams and starred in midfield for Fulham between 1952 and 1970.

Jimmy Hill The former television presenter and one-time club chairman played nearly 300 times for Fulham, where as chairman of the PFA he was instrumental in the abolition of the maximum wage, leading to Haynes becoming the first £100-a-week footballer.

Tommy Trinder Many club chairmen have been jokers; Trinder was a professional comedian. In charge between 1959 and 1976, he once said that Fulham dropped into the second tier "to get a longer run" at the first-division title.

Bobby Robson Started and ended his playing career at Fulham, who gave him his ill-fated first job in management. He found out he had been sacked when he saw a headline in a newsagent's in Putney.

Bobby Moore The West Ham United and England icon moved to Craven Cottage in 1974, when Fulham were in the second division, and was soon losing to his old club in the 1975 FA Cup Final.

George Best Crowds soared in the mid-Seventies as Best, Rodney Marsh and Moore briefly lined up together. "It was like the Harlem Globetrotters," Marsh said. Not that the Globetrotters ever had to play Hereford United.

Ian Branfoot Manager between 1994 and 1996, the club's nadir, when years of struggling to stay alive and saving the Cottage from property developers culminated in a flirtation with relegation to non-League football in 1995-96.

Mohamed Al Fayed The Harrods owner went shopping and bought a third-tier club he aimed to turn into "the Manchester United of the South". Four years, four managers and millions of pounds later, Chairman Mo was Premier League.

Kevin Keegan Appointed in tandem with Ray Wilkins in September 1997, Fulham lost to Grimsby Town in the third-tier play-offs but won promotion the next year. Sadly for everyone, Keegan left to succeed Glenn Hoddle as England manager in 1999.

Michael Jackson In 1999, before the King of Pop came out as an Exeter City fan, Mohamed Al Fayed treated him to his first taste of British soccer: Fulham 2 Wigan 0. No thriller, but Jackson said he "loved it".

Jean Tigana Signed Louis Saha — good move. And Steve Marlet for £11.5 million — not so smart. The Frenchman led Fulham into the top flight in 2001 and then the Uefa Cup, via the Intertoto Cup. Replaced by Chris Coleman in 2003.
Title: Re: Saturday Fulham Stuff (01.05.10)
Post by: White Noise on May 01, 2010, 06:28:16 AM
http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/miracle-worker-hodgson-finally-taking-centre-stage-at-fulham-2160977.html


Miracle worker Hodgson finally taking centre stage at Fulham


By Mitch Phillips

Saturday May 01 2010

It was surely one of the all-time great moments of footballing irony when, moments after Fulham secured their place in the Europa Cup final, Roy Hodgson said: "I'm a little bit drained of emotion".

Having just seen his team come from a goal down to beat Hamburg 2-1 and send Craven Cottage crazy, Hodgson exchanged a few handshakes and disappeared down the tunnel.

He was never going to sprint to the centre circle Jose Mourinho-style but Hodgson's quiet dignity in victory summed up the cerebral approach that has brought him so much success during a peripatetic 34-year coaching career.

As a player Hodgson was never able to crack Crystal Palace's first team and spent most of his career at minor league clubs. Perhaps that was why, when he took to coaching, he quickly developed a talent for turning minnows into big fish.

He led unfashionable Halmstads to the Swedish championship in his first year in charge in 1976, later describing the "water into wine job" as his greatest achievement.

Five consecutive league titles for Malmo earned him a shot at international management and again he got his players punching above their weight as Switzerland made it to the second round of the 1994 World Cup and into Euro 96.

He joined Inter Milan in 1995 where the parallels with what he has done at Fulham are remarkable, overseeing recovery from a dire start that ended with them finishing seventh in Serie A.

The following year they were third and reached the UEFA Cup final and though they lost to Schalke O4 on penalties, the next year the team Hodgson built won the trophy.

By then though he had been tempted to England where he did a similar job with Blackburn when he took them to sixth and into the familiar territory of the UEFA Cup.

However, the halo then began to slip as, for the first time in his career, Hodgson had big money to spend. He did not spend it wisely, or at least the big-name arrivals were not able to work within his framework, and with Blackburn bottom of the league four months into the season he was sacked.

He flitted around the world for the next nine years before being taken on by Fulham in December 2007. Relegation looked a certainty before a late charge culminated in a last-day escape.

Hodgson was back doing what he does best. Like Brian Clough, he somehow makes ordinary players reach new peaks and, as he had in his early successes, he developed real confidence and self-belief within his team.

stewardship

Zoltan Gera, the scorer of Thursday's winner, Bobby Zamora, Danny Murphy, Paul Konchesky, Damien Duff and Mark Schwarzer have all been given a new lease of life under his stewardship and repaid his faith with consistently high-level performances.

In his first full season in charge Hodgson steered Fulham to a seventh-place finish in the Premier League -- the best performance in their history -- and into the Europa League.

Victories over holders Shakhtar Donetsk, Juventus, German champions Wolfsburg and Hamburg will live long in the memory not least because so many of them came when Fulham looked dead and buried.

"The manager said at half-time to keep on going and playing football and we will get our reward and we did," said Simon Davies, scorer of the brilliantly-taken equaliser on Thursday. "We have played some great teams and come from behind a few times and it has been amazing."

In the running for manager of the year and, at least in the bars of west London on Thursday, discussed as a possible future England coach, Hodgson is having the time of his life at 62.

Although success always helps, Hodgson seems to have mastered the difficult task of being liked and respected by his players, chairman and the club's fans. "He has been fantastic since day one when I arrived at the club," said Schwarzer. "And every player can vouch for that."

Alex Ferguson believes Hodgson is a certainty to be named Manager of the Year and feels Fulham's "miraculous" march to the Europa League final is one of the best achievements by a British club in Europe.

Ferguson has won four European titles himself, one at Aberdeen and three with Manchester United. But he feels even those epics have been matched by Fulham's astonishing performance, topped off last night when they came from behind to beat Hamburg in the semi-final at Craven Cottage.

"Roy should be manager of the year, there is absolutely no doubt about it," said Ferguson. "It is a miracle. Hopefully he does win it now but it is one of the best British performances of all time."

Ferguson revealed he sent Hodgson a good luck message prior to kick-off and that former Cottagers goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar was not the only player in the Old Trafford dressing-room hoping the Londoners would come through and claim a place in the final.

He was also taken aback by a morning discussion about Fulham's perceived below-par performance in their 59th game of the season, which began in Lithuania in mid-July.

"I sent Roy a text message and everyone at the club was wishing them all the best," he said. "When you go 1-0 down to a German team you say to yourself it is going to be hard but the comeback was fantastic.

"I heard people on the radio this morning saying that they didn't play well. It was their 59th game of the season and people were talking about their performance!

He added: "He was doing well to get those players onto the pitch because he can only have about 16 players in his squad. They still have another four games to play yet. That will be 63. They started in that tournament in July. July! Crikey. I was on the beach."

- Mitch Phillips

Irish Independent
Title: Re: Saturday Fulham Stuff (01.05.10)
Post by: White Noise on May 01, 2010, 06:31:32 AM
We partied when we avoided relegation...so it's wonderful to be in a Euro final


Published: Today

FULHAM'S World Cup-winning right back George Cohen, 70, saw his club beat Hamburg 2-1 on Thursday to reach their first European cup final, on May 12. Here he gives his reaction to their amazing achievement.

THIS is as good as it gets as a Fulham fan, the thought that we could actually win a major European trophy is just wonderful.

It was pandemonium at Craven Cottage on Thursday. To see the beaming smiles. . . I've never seen anything like it in all the years I have been there.

The excitement was fantastic and matched the most fervent days of the past.

I believe we've already sold all our tickets for the final.

To achieve what this team has done with such a small squad is all the more remarkable, but that's Fulham for you.

They were at it again two seasons ago when Roy Hodgson came in as manager and we were just 14 minutes away from relegation on the last day of the season.

The celebrations when they survived that time were like we had won the cup.

Now we really are in with a chance of a major trophy.

You could see the way they were going to play when Roy took over. In his first game the goalie threw the ball to a defender and my wife asked why I was clapping. I said, 'We've still got the ball! We haven't given it away!'

All of a sudden the ball was not in the air, where you lose control, but was on the ground, and this team has continued to try to play properly.

In Brede Hangeland we have got the best centre-back playing in England, and alongside him Aaron Hughes has been outstanding.

I'm sure skipper Danny Murphy is 6in shorter than when he joined us because he covers so much ground, and our brilliant goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer arrived on a free!

There are no slackers, there are no big names. Just a great attitude and great teamwork.

They all know what they're doing because of great coaching from the manager.

When you think that in the past some of our most memorable celebrations have been for NOT being relegated.

Now we're in a European final and we beat some good teams to get there. Just saying it brings a smile to your face.

It has given the club a huge lift and put us on the map.

We may not be the biggest name in European football, but they all know us now.


Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/features/2955377/Fulham-legend-George-Cohens-reaction-to-team-reaching-European-cup-final.html#ixzz0meXG3mAI (http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/features/2955377/Fulham-legend-George-Cohens-reaction-to-team-reaching-European-cup-final.html#ixzz0meXG3mAI)

Title: Re: Saturday Fulham Stuff (01.05.10)
Post by: White Noise on May 01, 2010, 06:35:41 AM
http://www.dailystar.co.uk/football/view/133235/Bobby-Zamora-s-facing-a-final-hurdle/


BOBBY ZAMORA'S FACING A FINAL HURDLE



1st May 2010


By Sami Mokbel

BOBBY ZAMORA is facing a race against time to be fit for the Europa League final.

And the Fulham striker has cast doubt over his World Cup chances after admitting he may need surgery to cure his niggling Achilles injury.

The Craven Cottage outfit reached their first ­European final on Thursday with a remarkable 2-1 win over Hamburg following a goalless first leg in Germany. But boss Roy Hodgson is facing an anxious wait ahead of the clash against Atletico Madrid on May 12 in Hamburg to find out if his 19-goal hitman will be fit.

Zamora said: "I just want to be fit for the final, because the Achilles isn't the greatest.

"I think I have got one game left in me this season. The next week or two will be really important to get me fit.

"Will I need an operation? We are going to have to wait and see, but that is one of the options if the other bits and pieces don't work."

Zamora added: "We have gone all the way. What's the point in going out there not wanting to win? That would be stupid. We are going to go out there and give it our all. It's one game and one game only."

Meanwhile, the west London club have sold out their entire 12,400 allocation for the historic clash against Atletico next month.

The quick-fire sale has left a number of Cottagers fans unsure of whether they will get the chance to see their side in the most prestigious match in the club's history.
Title: Re: Saturday Fulham Stuff (01.05.10)
Post by: White Noise on May 01, 2010, 06:39:33 AM
Roy can be next England boss

TERRY VENABLES - Columnist

Published: Today

THERE is surely only one thing that can now stop Roy Hodgson from becoming England's next manager: The Liverpool job.

After a coaching career that has spanned nearly five decades and taken him all over the football world, the Fulham boss, 62, is finally getting the rewards and the respect he deserves.

He has worked nothing short of miracles since he arrived at Craven Cottage at the end of December 2007.

He sailed into a sea of scepticism from so-called experts and fans, who insisted he would never keep the Cottagers in the Premier League.

But against all odds, he managed to guide them to top-flight safety with nine points from the final nerve-jangling three games.

Last year he led his side to seventh, finishing above the likes of Tottenham, West Ham and Manchester City, ensuring a place in the Europa League.

Fulham's incredible campaign in the tournament, formerly known as the UEFA Cup, began last July with a trip to Lithuania to face FK Vetra in a qualifier, where they won 3-0.

Hodgson somehow steered the friendly club by the Thames through the group, going head to head with the likes of CSKA Moscow, Roma and Basel, before he inspired his men to punch above their weight in the knockout stage.

European football could scarcely believe its eyes as the Cottage rocked to floodlit triumphs over prestige opponents such as Shakhtar Donetsk, Juventus, reigning German champs Wolfsburg and, this week, Hamburg.

So clearly it has not been an easy ride.

And they secured their goalless draw in the first leg of the semi-final in Hamburg amid the volcanic ash cloud saga.

The air traffic chaos that ensued forced Hodgson and his boys to embark on a coach trip across the continent to fulfil the fixture many thought should have been postponed.

Hodgson's heroes will now travel back to the Nordbank Arena in Hamburg for the final against Liverpool's conquerors Atletico Madrid on May 12.

The way the Fulham boss has prepared and deployed his players has raised eyebrows and respect across Europe.

And who would have dared place a bet in January that Hodgson's side would be the only English team to reach a European final this season?

Just as impressive, though, has been the way Hodgson has managed to defy the size of his humble squad by maintaining their mid-table position in the Premier League.

This despite a relentlessly gruelling match schedule of Sunday-Thursday-Sunday.

Yet Fulham have come through it all - while their manager has emerged as THE outstanding candidate to replace Fabio Capello as Three Lions coach when the time comes.

That time could come in the summer, or it could come in a few years.

Whatever, we now have not only an internationally-experienced coach capable of replacing him, but an ENGLISH internationally-experienced coach able to step straight into the role.

I have known Roy for years and value him as a friend.

He used to come and watch Crystal Palace train in a bid to broaden his horizons when I was first starting out on the management trail in the late 1970s.

He has done a terrific job at Fulham with the aid of goalkeeping coach Mike Kelly - who was on my England team at Euro 96 - and Ray Lewington, who is an astute football man.

While prized striker Andrew Johnson has remained sidelined with injury, Hodgson and his team have managed to get the best out of players like Bobby Zamora.

So much so that Zamora has now forced his way into Capello's thoughts for the World Cup - having previously failed to set the Premier League alight at both West Ham and Tottenham.

Zoltan Gera, who scored the decisive goal against Hamburg that booked Fulham's place at their first major Euro final, is another who has ascended to a higher level under Hodgson's inspired tuition.

Ditto Paul Konchesky. Danny Murphy. Chris Baird. Damien Duff. Simon Davies. Clint Dempsey. The list goes on.

Chairman Mohamed Fayed understandably wants his manager to stay after their victory over Hamburg on Thursday.

Ironically, though, it could be events in the other semi-final that may result in his exit.

Liverpool's knockout courtesy of Diego Forlan's away goal for Atletico Madrid will ramp up the pressure on Anfield boss Rafa Benitez.

Agony in the Europa League only compounds their humiliation in the Premier League and Champions League.

Benitez has done an excellent job at Anfield, having led the club to Champions League and FA Cup glory during his time in charge on Merseyside. But he would no doubt admit that this season has not been the best.

And he would not be under any financial pressure to quit Liverpool, given the club would have to reportedly find around �15million to pay him off.

But with Juventus and Real Madrid said to be waiting in the wings, he might decide the time is right to jump a ship that, if it is not sinking, could certainly do with an overhaul.

If that was to happen, Hodgson would certainly show up on Liverpool's radar.

And with the money they would be prepared to pay him, it is safe to say that his contract would not include a 'get out' clause if the FA were to come calling.


Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/2955213/Roy-can-be-next-England-boss.html#ixzz0meZOt6jf (http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/2955213/Roy-can-be-next-England-boss.html#ixzz0meZOt6jf)

Title: Re: Saturday Fulham Stuff (01.05.10)
Post by: White Noise on May 01, 2010, 06:41:26 AM
You can stick it up yer Arsenal


By PAUL JIGGINS

Published: Today


BREDE HANGELAND reckons Fulham's Europa League glory run proves he was right to snub Arsene Wenger.

The Norway international defender was a target for the Arsenal boss last summer.

But Hangeland, 28, rejected the Gunners' advances and signed a new deal with at Craven Cottage instead.

And while Wenger's lads have nothing to play for this season, Fulham can look forward to a Europa League final against Atletico Madrid on May 12.

The West London club return to Hamburg for the clash after beating the German side 2-1 at the Cottage on Thursday.

Hangeland said: "I've had so many great nights at Fulham and that was probably the best one.

"I signed my new contract here so I could take part in games like that and I'm really happy to be at this club.

"Does this justify rejecting a move to Arsenal? I think so.

"Nights like that are for the history books and something I will always remember."

Hangeland admitted: "It's hard to believe what has happened. We started playing in July and it feels like an eternity ago.

"To be in the final after all these great games and the top-class opposition is something we'll always remember.

"Making the final is a great achievement. I don't think we have much to lose now.

"We should just go and enjoy the game and see what happens.

"I should have had a bet on us being the only British team to make a Euro final - I'd be a very rich man.

"It's fantastic to be the only British club left in Europe. We can win the trophy.

"Obviously, Atletico will be favourites but we'll do our best and see if that's good enough."

After Thursday's historic win Hangeland joined the calls for boss Roy Hodgson to be crowned Manager of the Year.

The Norwegian added: "To think that two years ago we survived on the last day and now we're in a European final.

"I'd vote for Roy as Manager of the Year if I could. He is a top-class manager and deserves to take us to the final."

Fulham received another boost last night after the Premier League cleared them of any wrongdoing over the team that faced Hull on March 27.

West Ham complained after Hodgson rested five key players for the 2-0 defeat which allowed the Tigers to pull level on points with the Hammers.

But a league statement said: "The Premier League board is of the view that no breach of rules has occurred in this case."

Meanwhile, 19-goal striker Bobby Zamora is facing a race against time to be fit for the game in 11 days' time.

He lasted 58 minutes against Hamburg after a painkilling injection in his injured Achilles.

The England hopeful, 29, admitted: "I'm not thinking about the World Cup, I just want to be fit for the final."

Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/2955237/Brede-Hangeland-says-he-was-right-to-snub-Arsenal.html#ixzz0mea2h3mb (http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/2955237/Brede-Hangeland-says-he-was-right-to-snub-Arsenal.html#ixzz0mea2h3mb)
Title: Re: Saturday Fulham Stuff (01.05.10)
Post by: White Noise on May 01, 2010, 06:46:25 AM
Hodgson's a hero for Simon


Published: 30 Apr 2010

SIMON DAVIES cays Fulham boss Roy Hodgson deserves all the plaudits coming his way after turning the club from "a mess" into European finalists.

The Cottagers were hurtling towards relegation when Hodgson took over from Lawrie Sanchez in December 2007.

They had won just two of their first 20 Premier League fixtures and sat 19th in the table.

But the experienced Hodgson came in, steadied the ship and kept Fulham up on goal difference from Reading.

Davies recalled: "As a team, we were really in a mess — we were struggling, conceding goal after goal.

"The first thing he worked on was our defensive shape, making us hard to beat and that carried us through to stay up and we have gone on from there."

After keeping the club up, Hodgson, now 62, inspired a quite remarkable turnaround by leading the club to their highest Premier League finish of seventh last season.

And despite facing a hectic fixture list — 59 games so far — with only a small squad, Hodgson is again on course for a top-10 finish as well as reaching the FA Cup quarter-finals and, of course, next month's Europa League showpiece with Atletico Madrid.

It is Hodgson's ability to get the best out of players such as captain Danny Murphy, Zoltan Gera and 19-goal Bobby Zamora which has proven his biggest attribute.

Davies, who pulled Fulham level in last night's 2-1 Europa League semi-final win over Hamburg, added: "It is hard to describe what an achievement it is to get a club like ours through to the final.

"The manager has done wonders with the club.

"We have got a modest manager and he wants us to be a modest team — we are always the underdogs, but that suits us.

"This season, he has rotated when he had to, made big decisions when they were needed.

"The manager has such a composure and he instils that composure into the team.

"When we go away, we are compact, can frustrate teams and are very hard to beat.

"However, when we can get the ball down, we can also play some good football."

Welshman Davies, 30, admits the Fulham squad were not too disappointed at Liverpool's semi-final exit.

He added: "We play Liverpool every year and playing Atletico Madrid will be something different for us, a great occasion.

"While it is a shame it will not be an all-England final, I think the majority of lads would have wanted Madrid."


Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/2954686/Simon-Davies-says-Roy-Hodgson-has-worked-wonders-at-Fulham.html#ixzz0meb3M4rF (http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/2954686/Simon-Davies-says-Roy-Hodgson-has-worked-wonders-at-Fulham.html#ixzz0meb3M4rF)

Title: Re: Saturday Fulham Stuff (01.05.10)
Post by: White Noise on May 01, 2010, 06:53:07 AM
Roy's the top boy for Ferguson


By NEIL CUSTIS

Published: 30 Apr 2010


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PREMIER LEAGUE bosses last night queued up to insist that Roy Hodgson be crowned Manager of the Year.

Hodgson guided Fulham to their first-ever European final on Thursday, thanks to a 2-1 Europa League win over Hamburg.

Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson said: "This is one of the best British club achievements of all time.

"I sent him a text message telling him everyone at this club was wishing them all the best. It was unbelievable, absolutely incredible.

"Roy's squad can only have about 16 players and he's got another four games yet. That will be 63 games. We played 58 last season and thought it was a miracle.

"They started the Europa League in July. Crikey, I was on the beach then! So he is Manager of the Year, no doubt about it."

Fulham meet Liverpool's conquerors Atletico Madrid in the final, coincidentally in Hamburg, on May 12.

Arsenal chief Arsene Wenger added: "Roy has made his side punch above its weight and maybe he is the one who deserves the award.

"He has intelligence, experience and and has made good buys.

"He was at Inter Milan, so he's been at big clubs. Some people's careers work in mysterious ways and maybe he's at the best period of his life now."

The Manager of the Year award is presented by the League Managers Association and is voted for by their 256 members - made up of all 92 league clubs' bosses, retired coaches and those still involved in the game below managerial level.

Spurs boss Harry Redknapp added his name to the list of bosses praising 62-year-old Hodgson.

Redknapp said: "What Roy's done in Europe is amazing. Should he get Manager of the Year? Yes."

Wolves manager Mick McCarthy insisted: "Hodgson has my vote."

And Burnley boss Brian Laws said: "I would be devastated for Roy if he does not get Manager of the Year.

"It would be absolutely disgraceful."


Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/2954410/Alex-Ferguson-says-Fulham-boss-Roy-Hodgson-must-be-named-Manager-of-the-Year.html#ixzz0mecwwWGK (http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/2954410/Alex-Ferguson-says-Fulham-boss-Roy-Hodgson-must-be-named-Manager-of-the-Year.html#ixzz0mecwwWGK)

Title: Re: Saturday Fulham Stuff (01.05.10)
Post by: PaulUMD on May 01, 2010, 06:54:17 AM
FWIW, this is also getting play in the US.  I saw it on ESPN's SportsCenter, and articles in the New York Times, Washington Post and USA Today.  
Title: Re: Saturday Fulham Stuff (01.05.10)
Post by: White Noise on May 01, 2010, 06:58:23 AM
That's great to hear Paul. It was THE sports story on every form of media in the UK yesterday and fans from every other club have been praising Roy and Fulham to the skies. Please let us know when the screenplay gets picked up in Hollywood. I think Michael Caine could play Roy and I see Robin Williams as Zoltan Gera!
Title: Re: Saturday Fulham Stuff (01.05.10)
Post by: White Noise on May 01, 2010, 07:01:01 AM
Another miracle, lucky people

STEVEN HOWARD - Chief sports writer


Published: 30 Apr 2010


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I SAW one miracle on Boxing Day 1963 when Fulham stuffed Ipswich 10-1 at Craven Cottage.

I dimly recall seeing another when the colourful but equally erratic Tosh Chamberlain scored a hat-trick for the West London club.

And then came Fulham's unbelievable 4-1 rout of Juventus when an early Italian goal had left them three down on aggregate.

But even the most long-toothed Fulham fan must have thought the club and miracles were done with after 69 minutes last night.

Trailing 1-0 to a superior Hamburg side, their extraordinary Europa League run looked to have ground to a halt.

It had started in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius back in July - some nine months, 18 games and 21,000 miles ago.

In that time, Fulham's Odyssey had seen them eliminate holders Shakhtar Donetsk, double European Cup-winners Juventus and German champions Wolfsburg.

Already it was a run that had written a fresh, exhilarating chapter in the annals of a club that made up for what it lacked in trophies with romance.

A club with no airs and graces. But a proper club and one that belonged to the community.

Yet on the night that mattered - a night billed as the most important in their history - the spark and drive that had carried them through a momentous season seemed to have deserted them.

Bar an earthquake or the appearance of a friendly cloud containing a few million tons of volcanic ash, the Germans had booked their place in the final.

Mladen Petric gave the Germans a 22nd-minute lead and, in the 58th match of a season in which Fulham have played five more games than Manchester United, it seemed as if the effort they had expended in getting this far had not just sapped their reserves but drained the tank.

For the first time in a pivotal European game, Fulham had been cast in the role of favourites after the goalless draw in Germany. And they appeared unable to handle it.

Being the team expected to win creates a totally different mindset. Nerves fray when you have to seize the initiative - so much easier being the underdog.

And then... Eureka! A remarkable thing happened. As time started to run out, Fulham suddenly realised they were back in their normal position of underdog.

And with Clint Dempsey replacing the clearly unfit Bobby Zamora, the whole dynamic changed.

Suddenly, Fulham were playing with the pace, skill and raw energy which had seemed Hamburg's sole preserve.

Suddenly, they were running at the German defence and putting it under the sort of pressure it had experienced neither in Hamburg - where Fulham failed to get a shot on target - nor in the preceding 69 minutes.

And, suddenly, the dam broke.

Inside seven stunning minutes, goals by Simon Davies and Zoltan Gera changed the whole tie and sent this unstoppable Fulham Roadshow rumbling on and back to Hamburg.

Suddenly, football had come home.

At the end, the Fulham faithful's ceaseless support had been rewarded with another incredible return from the dead.

It might not have been on the scale of the night Juventus were put to the sword.

But in terms of how close Fulham were to falling at the last tantalising hurdle, it was an epic all of its own.

What a reward for Roy Hodgson and the team that refused to die, and for the fans who have clung to this roller-coaster ride.

The younger element will have listened to their elders talking in rapt terms of the 1975 Bobby Moore side that reached the FA Cup final.

And, before them, immortals like Johnny Haynes, George Cohen, Bobby Robson and Alan Mullery.

Yes, even Mo Cook, the bow-legged Jimmy Langley and Graham Leggat, scorer of four of the goals in that 10-1 demolition of Ipswich.

Now they have their own heroes.

Men surely good enough to complete one of the most stirring cup runs of all time by defeating Atletico Madrid in the final.

As Tommy Trinder, the song and dance man who was Fulham chairman during the Haynes era, used to say: You lucky people!

Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/2954040/Fulham-produce-yet-another-football-miracle-to-see-off-Hamburg-in-the-Europa-League.html#ixzz0medhUr56 (http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/2954040/Fulham-produce-yet-another-football-miracle-to-see-off-Hamburg-in-the-Europa-League.html#ixzz0medhUr56)
Title: Re: Saturday Fulham Stuff (01.05.10)
Post by: finnster01 on May 01, 2010, 07:06:39 AM
Whilst Michael Caine is an extremely good shout, I still would argue that it would a fantastic last movie ever for Clint Eastwood...

"Hamburg, make my day " "Just me , you,  and my friend called Magnum"
Title: Re: Saturday Fulham Stuff (01.05.10)
Post by: PaulUMD on May 01, 2010, 07:07:23 AM
Heh.  Maybe Hugh Grant can play Simon Davies...have to get the hometown boy in the film!  

It sure doesn't hurt to have Demps on the squad, but I think the US outlets have caught the bigger story of a club like Fulham making such a run.  It's fantastic public relations for the club if nothing else.  ESPN is putting what can only be described as "an assload" of promotion into the Would Cup, and with their EPL coverage increasing as well, we're seeing a ton of new footage and reports on WC preparations and American players abroad.  The E60 thing being just one example.  

Fulham's success makes them a prime club for Americans to follow, so they can avoid being branded the "bandwagon whores" who pick up a new league and immediately follow the top teams.  An American player and a great story can only be good for the club on this side of the pond.  
Title: Re: Saturday Fulham Stuff (01.05.10)
Post by: Oakeshott on May 01, 2010, 07:08:19 AM
Nice to see the comments by other Premiership managers - especially Sir Alex.
Title: Re: Saturday Fulham Stuff (01.05.10)
Post by: White Noise on May 01, 2010, 07:10:39 AM
The Roy Wonder! Forget everyone else... Hodgson is manager of the year, says Fergie

By Laura Williamson


Last updated at 2:25 AM on 1st May 2010

Roy Hodgson might not be prone to hyperbole, but Sir Alex Ferguson was effusive on the Fulham manager's behalf yesterday, declaring his team's remarkable 18-match run to the Europa League final a 'miracle'.

On Thursday night, Hodgson's side overturned a 1-0 deficit to beat Hamburg and progress to the showpiece for the first time in the club's history. The Manchester United manager said: 'Hopefully, Fulham go on and win it now - but I think what Roy has done there this season is one of the best British club achievements of all time.

'It's fantastic. It is one of these miracles. I don't know how you would place it, but it has certainly been one of the best performances by a British club.'
Roy Hodgson

The United boss also praised Hodgson's talent in getting the best out of a relatively small squad in their 59th match of a season that began back on July 30.

'It's amazing to think that they started that tournament in July,' he said. 'I was on the beach then, I think. Considering the number of games they have played, he is doing well to get 11 players on the pitch every week. It's incredible.

'His squad can only be about 16 players and he's got another four games yet. That will be 63 games. We played 58 last season and we thought it was a miracle. So he is manager of the year, no doubt about it.'

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger also backed Hodgson as a potential League Managers' Association manager of the year. The winner of the prestigious award, which is voted for by the association's 256 members and was won last season by Everton boss David Moyes, will be announced on May 10.

Wenger said: 'He's been fantastic. He's the one who has made the team more than anybody else and his side fights above its weight.

'He has intelligence, experience and I believe that he has good characters and has made good buys. He has players who were not completely in the top three or four but who have the level to achieve - Bobby Zamora, Damien Duff, Danny Murphy. Maybe Roy is at the best period of his life now.'

Hodgson has been to a major European final before, losing to FC Schalke on penalties with Inter Milan in 1997, but even he admitted he was 'a little bit drained of emotion' after watching second-half goals from Simon Davies and Zoltan Gera propel Fulham into the final.
fulham

It is not overstating the case to say that his achievement with Fulham has been quite extraordinary.

Midfielder Davies, 30, said: 'We have got a modest manager and he wants us to be a modest team. We are always the underdogs but that suits us.

'The manager deserves to be manager of the year. We have played so many games this season with such a small squad. He has rotated when he had to and made big decisions when they were needed.

'It is hard to describe what an achievement it is to get a club like ours to the Europa League final. He has done wonders.'

Fulham were in a relegation dogfight when Hodgson took over from Lawrie Sanchez in December 2007. Five months later, they stayed up by the scruff of their necks, thanks to a Murphy penalty on the last day of the season at Portsmouth.

Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp, Portsmouth's manager that day, said: 'I'm so pleased for Roy and what he has achieved with Fulham. He came back into English football having not done so well at Blackburn but he's come back and ended up surviving.

'He came to Portsmouth and beat us 1-0 in the week before the FA Cup final. If they had got beat that day and relegated, who knows where Roy would have been now? There are small margins between success and failure. One minute you are great, the next you are useless. That's how it works.'

A year after that crucial win, Fulham finished seventh and qualified for Europe. Nobody could have envisaged the drama that would unfold in this season's Europa League. Premier League safety was also guaranteed, comfortably, for a 10th successive year.

Redknapp, who voted for Hodgson in last year's manager of the year award, said: 'He's definitely a contender. It's fantastic, absolutely brilliant what he's done.

'If you look at the teams they've beaten, like Shakhtar Donetsk, Juventus and Hamburg, they're amazing results. He deserves all the credit in the world.'

Hodgson inherited the core of the team who beat Hamburg on Thursday night - Aaron Hughes, Paul Konchesky, Murphy, Davies and Clint Dempsey - but has drilled them into a solid, compact defensive unit with an unnerving self-belief.
Roy Hodgson

Looking forward: Hodgson can now look ahead to making history as his side play their first Europa League final against Atletico Madrid

Davies said: 'I have been here since the manager first came in. As a team we were really in a mess. We were struggling, conceding goal after goal.

'The first thing he worked on was our defensive shape, making us hard to beat. That carried us through to stay up and we have gone on from there.

'He has such composure. He did not panic at half-time but told us to keep playing our own game. He instils that calm into the team.'

But Hodgson has been shrewd in the transfer market, too. Mark Schwarzer and Zoltan Gera arrived on free transfers in summer 2008 and Hodgson unearthed a gem in central defender Brede Hangeland. Damien Duff has turned back the clock after last summer's move from Newcastle and Hodgson has finally found a way for Bobby Zamora to fulfil his goalscoring potential at the top level.

'He has got to be manager of the year in my eyes,' said Zamora. 'He has taken this club from almost relegation to a European final in two seasons. It's the way he drills us week-in, week-out that has got us where we are in both the League and Cups.'

Hangeland also praised the manager he first worked with at Norwegian club Viking FK in 2004-05. He said: 'I know him well and to think two years ago we survived on the last day of the season, He is top class.'

* The Premier League last night announced they won't punish Fulham for playing a weakened team in their game at Hull in March.


Tickets frenzy...

Fulham sold out their full allocation of 12,400 tickets for the Europa League final against Atletico Madrid in Hamburg on May 12 within six hours yesterday. Tickets were priced between £50 and £135 and the club said there had been an 'extraordinary demand'.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1270158/The-Roy-Wonder-Forget--Hodgson-manager-year-says-Fergie.html?ITO=1490#ixzz0megAV8N9 (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1270158/The-Roy-Wonder-Forget--Hodgson-manager-year-says-Fergie.html?ITO=1490#ixzz0megAV8N9)

Title: Re: Saturday Fulham Stuff (01.05.10)
Post by: White Noise on May 01, 2010, 07:54:21 AM
Fulham join the likes of Millwall, Middlesbrough, Cardiff and Rochdale in Sportsmail's list of unlikely cup finalists

By Mark Lawford


Last updated at 7:19 AM on 1st May 2010


So Fulham, one of the least fashionable clubs in the top flight, have made it to their first-ever European final - and the world of football is rejoicing, especially as Liverpool won't be joining them in the Europa League shootout in Hamburg next month.

Bring on Atletico Madrid...

Roy Hodgson - for so long seen as the man who 'failed' at Blackburn and managed average countries like Switzerland, UAE and Finland - will now be seen in a totally different light. And deservedly so.

His great footballing brain has cut and shut a team of players nobody else wanted - Simon Davies, Danny Murphy, Damien Duff, Bobby Zamora and John Pantsil to name but five - and made them both difficult to beat and attractive to watch.

If Fulham made a domestic cup final it would be fair to say it would be a surprise - so to get through on the European stage is truly amazing. This far outweighs their 1975 FA Cup Final appearance with Bobby Moore at the helm.

So they certainly join the list of unlikely finalists - and here is Sportsmail's list of the rest of them.

Ross County - Scottish FA Cup 2010

Just 16 years after being elected to the Scottish League and two promotions later, Ross County stunned Scottish football by beating Celtic 2-0 - Martin Scott (pictured right) on target - to reach the FA Cup Final itself where they will face Dundee United. Now just one win away from a Europa Cup place, there could be more dancing  in the streets of Dingwall, Ross and Cromarty.

Cardiff City - FA Cup 2008

The Bluebirds edged out fellow Championship side Barnsley in the last four to reach their first final since 1927 - where they lost 1-0 to Portsmouth, also surprise finalists.

Middlesbrough - UEFA Cup 2006

For so long branded boring, Boro blazed a Euro trail that saw them beat Stuttgart and Roma before twice coming back from the dead against Basel then Steaua Bucharest  in an amazing semi-final.

The Bucharest recovery was Steve McClaren's finest hour, the 4-0 defeat to Sevilla in the final was a bad 90 minutes but at least he had the England job to look forward to (cue sad music).

Gretna-  2006 Scottish FA Cup

Three successive promotions and a Scottish Cup Final in the space of three seasons proved Gretna was more than just a place to get married without the permission of your parents. A defeat on penalties to Hearts in the final and subsequent awful season in the SPL was quickly followed by financial meltdown and dissolution by 2008. All this just six years after being elected to the Scottish League in the first place and two appearances in the English FA Cup in 1991 and 1993.

Millwall - 2004 FA Cup

No-one likes them but the Lions did not care as they got all the way to the final without a playing a top flight club en route. Millions of neutrals did not know who to back as they took on Manchester United in the final where they were denied a clear penalty and Neil Harris (pictured right) was ruled offside when clean through and onside. For the record, United scraped a 3-0 win I think.

Bayer Leverkusen 2002 Champions League

Yes, great players like Lucio, Michael Ballack, Carsten Ramelow and Oliver Neuville but did anyone other than the most ardent Bayer fan expect them to reach the final of the world's top club competition? They lost it 2-1 to Real Madrid despite the non-stop running and energy of sub Dimitar Berbatov...

Tranmere 2000 League Cup

Back in the old days, Tranmere were a tasty alternative to Liverpool and Everton, and reached their only domestic cup final under the leadership of John Aldridge. They only just lost as well, 2-1 to Leicester with a goal from David Kelly (pictured right). Rovers now stand on the verge of football's fourth tier while Leicester spent last season in the third tier. Football can be a cruel mistress.

Borussia Dortmund 1997 Champions League

Another effective German side stunned football by hammering Juventus 3-1 in the final. Captained by Matthias Sammer, Dortmund easily saw off Marcello Lippi's artisans with two goals from Karl-Heinz Riedle while future Celtic legend Paul Lambert played a starring role.

Oldham 1990 League Cup


Nigel Jemson's goal won it for Nottingham Forest as Division Two Oldham reached their first-ever major final. Weeks earlier they just been edged of the FA Cup by Manchester United following a 3-3 semi-final draw and 2-1 replay defeat. The Latics did eventually reach the top flight under manager Joe Royle (pictured right) and stayed their for three seasons before it all unravelled...

Oxford United 1986 League Cup

Now non-League, but 24 years ago Oxford were in the top flight. Evenso, reaching the final was a major shock - even if they did have the likes of John Aldridge and Ray Houghton in the side. Houghton scored in the 3-0 defeat of QPR at Wembley but by 1988 Oxford were relegated and 18 years later were out of the League altogether.

Steaua Bucharest 1986 European Cup

Has there ever been a drearier final? Steaua set out for penalites from the start, pulling 11 men behind the ball and allowing Terry Venables' side no room to play in. The fact the Romanians won 2-0 on penalties after a 0-0 draw  - yes, 2-0 - showed how little Barca were bothered after 120 paint-drying minutes despite the efforts of ex-Spurs frontman Steve Archibald.
Swindon 1969 League Cup

Division 3 Swindon unleashed wing wizard Don Rogers on the Gunners at Wembley and scorched to a stunning 3-1 win. Arsenal packed their side with legends like Bob Wilson, Frank McLintock, John Radford and George Armstrong while the Robins had Rogers and club stalwart John Trollope who was already well into an 884-game career with the club.

Rochdale 1962 League Cup

The Dale have just celebrated their first promotion since solid crossbars replaced tape but years ago they reached the League Cup Final - when most clubs boycotted it. They lost 4-0 on aggregate to Norwich City in a two-legged final but remain the only club from English football's fourth tier to reach a major final.

No pictures remain of the day just a few cave drawings done by a local 'bigoted woman.' Allegedly. The bigoted bit, not the drawing bit.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1270029/Fulham-join-likes-Millwall-Middlesbrough-Cardiff-Rochdale-Sportsmails-list-unlikely-cup-finalists.html#ixzz0merjhOJK (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1270029/Fulham-join-likes-Millwall-Middlesbrough-Cardiff-Rochdale-Sportsmails-list-unlikely-cup-finalists.html#ixzz0merjhOJK)

Title: Re: Saturday Fulham Stuff (01.05.10)
Post by: White Noise on May 01, 2010, 08:03:58 AM
DJ Diddy's silent night


Former Radio 1 DJ David 'Diddy' Hamilton, the match announcer at Craven Cottage for the last 14 years, couldn't play his part in Fulham's Europa League semi-final victory over Hamburg because his microphone didn't work.

Veteran broadcaster Hamilton couldn't get his mike fixed before kick-off on the club's greatest night, nor get much sound out of the security box system. As a result, he didn't call the famous goals or — even worse — introduce owner Mohamed Al Fayed's pre-match walkabout.

'Diddy' has already endured being moved into the stands from his regular seat in the fourth official's dug-out this year because Sky Sports complained it was becoming too congested.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/article-1270208/Charles-Sale-Football-League-breakaway-threat-parachute-row.html#ixzz0meujNewz (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/article-1270208/Charles-Sale-Football-League-breakaway-threat-parachute-row.html#ixzz0meujNewz)

Title: Re: Saturday Fulham Stuff (01.05.10)
Post by: White Noise on May 01, 2010, 08:16:56 AM
http://clarkeonenil.co.uk/front-page/sharing-the-love-from-fulham-to-leeds-united


Sharing the love, from Fulham to Leeds United.



In advance of our important game today Paul Hatt uses his enjoyment from watching his first love, Fulham FC, get to the Europa League Final, to inspire his second, Leeds United, to promotion

There are times when your faith in what football is all about is restored. What we are talking about is that 90 minutes of activity that takes place on the pitch. Forget all the hype, the punditry.........just solid focus..........22 men.........the right result.........out there, in front of you. For that duration all the issues surrounding your club are put to one side. You can just focus as the events unfold before your eyes........the raw emotion.

That time was last night. The biggest game in the clubs history. A capacity crowd, vociferous away fans and a palpable tension. The nervousness of the home fans seemed to translate to the players, or was it the other way round? Movement and noise........missed tackles......close shaves.......great saves. The ebb and flow is ceaseless, and then time stands still....you suddenly look up at the scoreboard.....where did that first 22 minutes go. They get a free kick; you just know they are going to score. You and the rest of the home crowd hold their breath..........and your worst fear is confirmed. You see the ball bulge in the net........an explosion of sound from the away fans.........your losing and your dream is shattered. The home team and fans respond........but it is all too brief........a lull develops........it's half-time.

The break reduces noise levels to a hum.........an uneasy, restless sound. Conversations exchanged about what the manager should do.......some nod, others disagree.

And so it's "poo or bust" as the second half begins. "Stand up if you still believe" rings out amongst the home faithful. The first challenge of the second half leaves the home leading goal scorer limping.....you fear the worst. On 57 minutes the inevitable happens and he has to be substituted.....it seems to have no impact. Nervous glances at the scoreboard clock become more frequent........and like drifting sand, time is slipping ever quicker away. Whispers start to surface that perhaps there is no escape this time......the last 20 minutes looms. Just when the belief is on the wane......a flick, a turn, a shot........it's one all..........the tension bursts.... "Stand up if you still believe" is the refrain once more. Can we do this? Can we really? Suddenly the bouncing, buoyant away fans are silent and still. Do they feel it? Do they know what is coming? And it does..........just seven minutes later.......a scrappy goalmouth melee and then suddenly there's a chance and it's in......2-1! Pandemonium.......delirious, riotous joy. Is time now friend or foe? 14 minutes and you've done it. But you know another goal for them and it's all over again......that's how fragile that your dream is. And so you live every second of that last 14 minutes. It is a blur, but you sense the frantic events of the away team as they desperately try to claw their way back. Three minutes of added time.......the agony is extended. Wasted possession........loose passes.........just steady it!

Then it happens..............the final whistle. Joy, so much joy. Tears, hugs, handshakes, clapping, screaming, waving, chanting......disbelief, relief. A collective orgasm of satisfaction. A warm feeling that leaves you smiling.

It's what we all dream of from our 90 minutes each week. I hope that this sensation applies to the games that Leeds have to come. Unless you're a fan, you just don't get it............it's our games, our team, our passion and our love. Are you listening Ken?
Title: Re: Saturday Fulham Stuff (01.05.10)
Post by: White Noise on May 01, 2010, 08:21:41 AM

http://www.latestsportsbuzz.com/?p=1368 (http://www.latestsportsbuzz.com/?p=1368)


Fulham FC: From England's Fourth Tier To Europa Cup Final In 14 Years

Posted by Siddhi on May 1st, 2010 and filed under Other Sports.

[email protected] – AHN Sports Correspondent

London, United Kingdom (AHN) – In 1996, Fulham FC finished 17th out of 24 in the fourth tier of English football.

Fourteen years on the club is celebrating one of the most rapid rises in English soccer history and progression to the club's first ever European final.

The club's remarkable rise from being on the verge of losing their league status began in February of 1996, when they bravely appointed then captain, Micky Adams as player-manager.

Adams settled into his new role quickly and engineered a quick turnaround in the team's fortunes.

A good run of results towards the end of the 1995-96 season saw Fulham pull clear of the relegation zone.

But in a telling indication of who far this once illustrious club has fallen came in the celebrations of a 17th place finish, the lowest in the clubs history, which was heralded as a success.

Having 'acheived' this Adams set about re-invigorated his squad and masterminded promotion in his first full season as manager.

Adams, and Fulham, were only denied the title after the FA scrapped the traditional deciding factor; goal difference in favour of goals scored, giving Wigan Athletic the crown.

Given then Fulham chairman, Jimmy Hill had advocated that very same policy change, second place could have proved a bitterly ironic pill to swallow.

Despite the denial of silverwear however promotion was more than even the most optimistic Fulham fans could have wished for and the club was on it's way, although the architect Micky Adams was to play almost no further part.

In the summer of 1997 Egyptian businessman Mohammed Al Fayed purchased the club, partly inspired by it's proximity to his famous London store, Harrods.

Now flush with cash, expectations rose and a poor start to the new campaign would cost Adams his job as Al Fayed fired the catalyst for the revival in favour of his management "dream team" of Ray Wilkins and Kevin Keegan.

Despite the perceived harshness at the treatment of Adams, Al Fayed's choice was to prove a wise one.

A year on it didn't look like it would be after an argument over team selection saw Wilkins resign, handing the full managerial reigns to Keegan in the process.

The former Liverpool and Hamburg hero soon steadied the ship and, aided by a seemingly unlimited transfer budget Keegan guided the club up another level in 1999.

Having taken the club onto the next level Keegan left to takeover the top job in English soccer with his appointment as manager of the national team.

Paul Bracewell was installed in Keegan's stead but lasted only until March 2000 when, with mid-table mediocrity looming, Bracewell was removed to be replaced by Frenchman Jean Tigana.

Tigana, aided by some inspired signings including a young Louis Saha, led Fulham to their third promotion in five years, leading the club to the Premier League in 2000-01.

Once in the promised land, Tigana was able to lay some Premier League foundations and the club has remained in the top-flight ever since.

Despite maintaining Premier League status since their elevation under Tigana, Al Fayed's ambition put paid to a series of high profile managers including Tigana, Chris Coleman and former Northern Ireland manager Lawrie Sanchez.

With another lowly finish looming Sanchez became Al Fayed's latest victim in December 2007.

With Sanchez gone, Al Fayed turned to the experience of journeyman manager Roy Hodgson and Fulham hasn't looked back.

Hodgson's tenure started with a 2-1 loss to Chelsea on New Year's Day 2008, but improved results towards the end of the season saw Fulham dramatically avoid relegation.

The next season was much better and a run to the FA Cup Quarter-Finals was coupled with a 7th placed finish seeing the club qualify for the 2009-10 Europa Cup.

The stats boded well for Fulham, which had never lost at home in European Competition, with a record of 11 wins and four draws, although most pundits believed Fulham would do well to make it through the group stage.

The pundits were to bow to the stats.

The club comfortably saw off Lithuanian club Vetra 6-0 on aggregate and Russians Amkar Perm in the qualifying rounds, before emerging unscathed from a group containing FC Basel, CSKA Sofia and Italian giants AS Roma.

Ukranian Champions Shaktar Donetsk were next up for the Cottagers but a 3-2 aggregate win saw the vanquished with another Italian giant in Juventus next up and similarly eliminated.

The Juventus tie saw Fulham comeback from 3-1 down to seal their quarterfinal place, but more importantly it imbued within them a confidence to go on.

German Champions Wolfsburg suffered at the hands of Fulham's new found belief before a Volcanic Ash affected semi-final tie with another German club, Hamburg saw Fulham complete their remarkable tale.

A 0-0 draw in Hamburg was followed up with a 2-1 win at Craven Cottage clinching Fulham a European final against Athletico Madrid.

From fourth tier to European final in 14 years?

Fulham is the English soccer definition of the American Dream.
Title: Re: Saturday Fulham Stuff (01.05.10)
Post by: ScalleysDad on May 01, 2010, 11:10:03 AM
The piece from the Times, the first article, has a series of fabulous photo's attached to it if you go to the piece via Times Online. The one of Tommy Trinder is priceless and there is the Tigana one. Look to his right and ponder what MAF might have been thinking.

"All is rosy in The Cottage garden" ....................... Fortress Cottage is going to be a while then ?