131 Years To Become An Overnight Success

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Fulham have finally arrived: Now the likes of Bobby Zamora can really be compared to Cottage legends Johnny Haynes, Bobby Moore and Alan Mullery

By Mark Lawford


Last updated at 12:28 PM on 19th March 2010



High flier: Bobby Zamora of Fulham is challenged by Juventus's Zdenek Grygera


If there is going to be a European trophy coming to West London this season it'll be coming to Fulham not Stamford Bridge.

The small and unfashionable cousins of big-spending Chelsea are through to their first-ever European quarter-final following a remarkable 5-4 aggregate defeat of Juventus in the Europa League - and now they face Wolfsburg.

This after they had trailed 4-1 at one stage, just two days after Chelsea failed to overturn a measly 2-1 deficit against Italian champions Inter.

It's taken the Cottagers 131 years to become an overnight success despite some of the greatest players in the English game having worn the famous white shirt.

And in that time they've hit some real lows too - just 14 years ago were in the fourth tier of the domestic game and actually finished 17th - a position currently occupied by Macclesfield.

But Fulham have been on the up since February 1996 when Micky Adams took over and got them promoted.

Sportsmail charts the progress of a club who lost their dignity, almost lost their Football League place then did lose their ground for two years when they were forced to share with QPR from 2002 while the Cottage was rebuilt.

Great players

Johnny Haynes was not called 'The Maestro' for nothing. With 658 games for his only club during the 1950s and 60s, he is regarded as their best-ever player and even managed to chalk up 18 England caps - many while in a second division team.

Haynes never won a World Cup winners'  medal but Bobby Moore did - and he led Fulham to the 1975 FA Cup Final during his three-year spell there.






Legends all: Alan Mullery, Bobby Moore and Johnny Haynes (right) all hold a special place in Fulham history

England star Alan Mullery was another high-profile re-signing (he totalled 412 games for the club in two spells) as were legendary duo George Best and Rodney Marsh who all played alongside Moore in the second division.

Add the likes of Bobby Robson, Jimmy Hill, Edwin van der Sar, Ray Houghton, Louis Saha and George Cohen and it's obvious it's never been a dull place to watch football.



Famous firsts Nothing to shout about: Steve Marlet's 11 goals cost Fulham over £11m

On January 20 1974, Fulham lost 1-0 to Millwall in the first ever Sunday match played in England.

Fulham's only trophy is the 2003 InterToto Cup, secured with a 5-3 aggregate win against Bologna.

Fulham's only FA Cup Final appearance was in 1975 when they lost 2-0 to West Ham.

En route to that final Fulham played 11 matches - including replays - a record for reaching the Wembley showpiece.

Bobby Robson's first manager's job was at Fulham where he lasted just 10 months before being sacked

Fulham FC founded the south's first pro rugby league team - Fulham Rugby League - in 1980 and hosted games until 1984. The club is now Harlequins RL.

In September 1986 Liverpool beat Fulham 10-0 in the League Cup - the first and only time they have conceded ten goals in a game.

Fulham were the first  team to ever believe that Steve Marlet was worth £11.5m and the only team to actually pay that for him.

League ups and downs

Sporting a proud history without winning anything, Fulham's yo-yo existence throughout the 60s and 70s went sour in the 1980s when they almost won promotion to Division One under Malcolm MacDonald and by 1987 only just escaped going out of business.

It got worse in the 90s when they became entrenched in the third tier before slipping into the bottom level by 1994.

Their lowest point was a defeat to bottom side Torquay United that ended the reign of manager Ian Branfoot and an eventual finish just four wins better than second-bottom Scarborough.



Dream team: Arthur Cox, Ray Wilkins, Mohamed Al Fayed and Kevin Keegan begin their reigns at Fulham

Adams arrival heralded a change of fortunes and by 1997 Harrods owner Mohamed Al-Fayed bought the club. He promptly sacked Adams and appointed Kevin Keegan and Ray Wilkins as his dream team, promising Premier League football within five years.

Promotion followed before al-Fayed gave Keegan to England but by 2001 Jean Tigana had taken Fulham into the top flight - where they have remained since.

Tigana, Chris Coleman and Lawrie Sanchez have been dispensed with as boss in that time allowing Roy Hodgson to first keep them up, then take them to a best-ever League finish of seventh - and now European glory.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1259167/Fulham-finally-arrived-Now-likes-Bobby-Zamora-really-compared-Cottage-legends-Johnny-Haynes-Bobby-Moore-Alan-Mullery.html#ixzz0if4J6MiV