The REAL Great Escape

[LillieBoy]

Just to give us all the tiniest bit of hope:

On the morning of 26 February 1966, Fulham had just fifteen points from twenty-nine matches. The last thirteen games saw Fulham win nine and draw two to reach safety.

I've posted this before but I was there and it seemed completely impossible at the time.

Is there a "clutching-at-straws" smiley?   079.gif

[ChesterTheTabby]

If any club can do it over and over again, it's the Mighty Whites. We got this.

[andyk]

I think in the last Great Escape we had fewer points at this stage. Think it was 29 games with 19 points. We had 24 points with only 5 games left.
I still think if we can get to 27/28 points with 5 games to go we can do it.
Still very unlikely, but far from impossible.

[jarv]

I remember 66. I just don't see it happening this season to be honest. We had some terrific players then. I think Haynes was back from his car accident injury and playing as well as ever. I remember the press calling for him to be reinstated to the England team but Ramsay was having none of it.

[bog]

I was there for this and many other time when we came good when all seemed lost. Good posting.

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[Hersham Henry]

Agreed. The 1966 escape was by far the greatest escape of all (W9 D2 L2). I was a regular in those days. We had just bought the English International forward Allan 'Sniffer' Clarke, a great inside forward goal poacher in the Greaves mould and gradually integrated him into the team - just the way we now need to GRADUALLY introduce Mitroglu (spelling? - hopefully he will be at least good premiership standard which may be enough. It won't be easy but we can do it.

The only 'write off' we have is Man City away but who knows, we have had results there before and anything would be a major bonus. Spurs away will be difficult but we did win there last year. A draw at WBA was satisfactory as it has kept them within range and a win would have been a hell of a bonus. Our Away record is now better than our Home record - when did that last occur? A win at Cardiff is achievable, 3 home wins (Norwich, Palace & Hull - forget the 6-0 second half disaster). Three or four points minimum from the home matches against Chelsea, Everton and Newcastle and Villa away could be enough to keep us up and anything better could ensure safety: by that time Magath will have got our team lasting 95 instead of 75 minutes so anything is possible. If matches only lasted 70-75 minutes we would already be virtually safe - the penalty for having too many pensioners in the team!

If Magath is as good as his record in Germany indicates we have a fighting chance of staying up even if we do have to beat Palace on the last day and if the worst does happen Magath with his record should ensure we are likely to have a very good chance of promotion next year.

I liked Meulenstein but although he was definitely improving the team he was unlikely to save us. We have left Magath with a lot to do but with him we have a realistic chance. BELIEVE until it is impossible!

Tomorrow we are Spurs fans as they try to win at Norwich. I still fancy Cardiff, Norwich and Sunderland with all their Cup commitments for relegation. Other results today went well for us.

[The Rock]

Good posts. Very good posts, just wanted to share that.

[LillieBoy]

Simple!


26 Feb 1966    Fulham v Liverpool                    W      2-0    
12 Mar 1966    Aston Villa v Fulham                    W      2-5    
19 Mar 1966    Fulham v Sunderland                    W      3-0    
26 Mar 1966    West Ham United v Fulham    W     1-3    
02 Apr 1966    Fulham v West Bromwich Albion    W     2-1    
08 Apr 1966    Fulham v Leeds United             L     1-3    
12 Apr 1966    Leeds United v Fulham            W     0-1    
16 Apr 1966    Fulham v Sheffield Wednesday    W     4-2    
18 Apr 1966    Fulham v Leicester City             L     0-4    
23 Apr 1966    Northampton Town v Fulham    W     2-4    
26 Apr 1966    Nottingham Forest v Fulham    W     1-2    
30 Apr 1966    Fulham v Stoke City                    D     1-1    
07 May 1966    Newcastle United v Fulham         D     1-1

:wine:   

[win-dup]

I was there and remember the win over Liverpool which kickstarted it all. Different times though now. Then the Dean family owned the club and relegation didn't seem like the end of the world, after all we'd spent most of our time up to 1959 in the second division, so, so what if we went back there. Now, we've an owner who lives six thousand miles away and couldn't really give a stuff about the club as such, just his investment. Really can't see how we are going to get off the bottom after throwing away yet another lead yesterday.

[nose]

that liverpool game was something... and the run was amazing... it shows what can be done.... but you have to do it, and at the moment we are not firing on all cylinders. we have the talent, but we need a more settled side, and we cannot afford disruptive substitutions, and change of approach just because we are one up. when on top you have to press the advantage and get a second. if you are two up then maybe sit back a bit, but certainly never at one.

[bog]

I was at a lot of those games. The Northampton one is one that I will never forget. The attendance was a ground record which was never broken and will never be as they moved grounds a while back. The ground was also a cricket pitch so a temporary stand was erected on the open side. Losing 2-1 before hattrick from a young Steve Earle saw us win 4-2. The last goal he ran almost length of the pitch to score. A great day out that was.

COYW!

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[nose]

I was at a lot of those games. The Northampton one is one that I will never forget. The attendance was a ground record which was never broken and will never be as they moved grounds a while back. The ground was also a cricket pitch so a temporary stand was erected on the open side. Losing 2-1 before hattrick from a young Steve Earle saw us win 4-2. The last goal he ran almost length of the pitch to score. A great day out that was.

COYW!

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my dad wouldn't take me to the game.... i was so disapointed and still am.

[HatterDon]

This was also -- most likely -- the last time Fulham won 5 in a row in the top flight, or 7 of 8.

What happened to turn this team so abruptly around?

[bog]

What happened to turn the fortunes around? Fulhamish.

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[MasterHaynes]

I feel a City deja Vu moment coming on

[Scrumpy]

This was also -- most likely -- the last time Fulham won 5 in a row in the top flight, or 7 of 8.

What happened to turn this team so abruptly around?

I am too young to have been there, but I believe we appointed a really good coach in Dave Sexton (kept the Manager, but recruited DS as coach). He moved onto other things after this season, but he had us playing some great football while he was with us.

Someone else will know more, I am sure.

[Kentish Gent]

This was unquestionably THE Great Escape and, as such, proves that miracles can happen in football. I was at the Liverpool game which started the run  - wasn't that the match where Pancho Pearson hauled St John back by his hair, and St John got sent off for lashing out??!! Whatever, keep the faith. We can escape relegation.

[Fulham Tup North]

I feel a City deja Vu moment coming on

Again? :)

[ron]

Just to give us all the tiniest bit of hope:

On the morning of 26 February 1966, Fulham had just fifteen points from twenty-nine matches. The last thirteen games saw Fulham win nine and draw two to reach safety.

I've posted this before but I was there and it seemed completely impossible at the time.

Is there a "clutching-at-straws" smiley?   079.gif

Two points for a win in those days if that makes a difference...

But I was a regular during that brilliant recovery....


I'm not in the least optimistic this year like I was then.

[RaySmith]

I seem to remember a few 'great escapes' in those years - but that was by far the most spectacular.

Football was a lot different then - far less pressurised, no Sky, no media interest other than the back pages, no players as celebs, the working-class man's main leisure pursuit.

Fulham would go on a losing run, where we always seemed to lose  0-1 at home in my memory, then it seemed as the team thought 'we'd better do something' and  turn the season round completely...that is, until we eventually failed to turn it round!