Fulham
Cottagers boss Chris Coleman
Also In The News
|
Claims suggest that Pakistan al-Qaeda chief was slain by a US drone attack. |  |
Tuesday, 01, Aug 2006 04:33
New signings, new hope but can Fulham finally deliver? No, is the common retort.
Long before the days of Roman Abramovich, a certain Egyptian retailer - with his own dreams of Premier League domination - set his sights on another football club in West London.
Mohammed Al Fayed's investment in Fulham - albeit on a smaller scale to that of Chelsea's Russian oil tycoon - was undoubtedly a major turning point for the club.
Fulham had experienced brushes with football's upper echelons and under the captaincy of Johnny Haynes (who recorded just shy of 600 club performances), even maintained a heady top-flight spot for most of the 1960s.
The departures of the likes of Bobby Moore and George Best saw an end to the glory days of the 60s and 70s though and Fulham slipped to the brink of relegation in Division 3.
But with the Harrods boss' intervention came a meteoric rise through the leagues, culminating in the team's promotion to the Premiership in 2001.
With the young Chris "Cookie" Coleman at the helm, most Fulham fans are just delighted their team is in the top flight but following five seasons of consolidation, many are now itching to see something more.
Traditionally credited with flowing football, Fulham lack strength in depth and have suffered from a recent tightening of the purse strings.
The team must capitalise on last year's superb home record if progress is to be made.
Facts
Formed: 1879
Home: Craven Cottage, capacity 22,000
Nickname: The Cottagers
Adult 2006/07 season ticket prices: £499 - £699
Pedigree
League champions: 3 - 1949 (Div 2), 1999 (Div 2), 2001 (Div 1)
Intertoto Cup winners: 1 - 2001
People
Owner: Mohammed Al Fayed
Chief executive: Jim Hone
Head coach: Chris Coleman
Assistant coach: Steve Kean
Team captain: Luis Boa Morte
Last season
Premiership: 12th - P 38 W 14 D 6 L 18 GF 48 GA 58 GD -10 PTS 48
FA Cup: third round - lost 1-2 to Leyton Orient
League Cup: third round - lost 2-3 to West Bromwich
Major summer ins
Bjorn Runstrom - from Hammarby - £700,000
Jimmy Bullard - from Wigan - £2.5 million
Gabriel Zakuani - from Leyton Orient - £1.5 million
Franck Queudrue - from Middlesbrough - undisclosed
Wayne Routledge - from Tottenham - season loan
Jan Lastuvka - from Shakhtar Donetsk - season loan
Major summer outs
Steed Malbranque - to Tottenham - undisclosed
Sylvain Legwinski - to Ipswich - undisclosed
Unheralded stars
Papa Bouba Diop and Brian McBride
Papa "Boobs" Bouba Diop has been a rock in the heart of the Fulham midfield for a number of seasons now.
The 28-year-old Senegalese dynamo has a powerful engine and never shuns a tackle. Not known for his prodigious strike rate - just two goals last season - he is famed for a ferocious shot. His 30-yard screamer at Old Trafford in the 2004/05 season was a Premiership classic.
He provides a good defensive foil to the forward charges of skipper Luis Boa Morte and has grown in his role as the Fulham playmaker.
Diop has attracted interest from a number of the higher-flying Premiership clubs but opted to stay on with Fulham for the long haul - 2006/07 is set to be the season where he steps up to make his mark.
Another Fulham stalwart is the stocky US forward Brian McBride who, given his recent international retirement, will be turning his full attention to domestic glories.
McBride has proved to be a shrewd buy for the club and - despite turning 34 this summer - still scored 11 goals last season.
Strong in the air and fiercely competitive, he will continue to be a great asset to Fulham - particularly if utilised by Coleman in the super-sub mould.
Star(let)s
Luis Boa Morte and Antti Niemi.
Fulham captain Luis Boa Morte was far and away the star of the show at the Cottage last year.
A few eyebrows were raised after Coleman selected him as skipper but he has proved to be an inspired choice. Leading by example - a few red cards aside - his work rate is second to none.
A natural left-footer, he is great on the flank with his numerous darting runs, while up front he rarely squanders opportunities.
With seven goals last season, Boa Morte can turn matches and often scored from dead ball situations with his curling free-kicks.
Left out of the Portuguese team at this year's World Cup, he is an integral component of the Fulham set-up. Goalkeeper Antti Niemi also deserves a mention here.
A relatively recent addition to the side, there are few keepers who could fill the boots of Edwin Van de Sar so easily.
The Finnish goalkeeper is a great shot stopper and breeds confidence in his back four.
His lighting quick reactions kept Fulham out of hot water a number of times last season and consistently good home performances helped the side develop their impressive record at the Cottage.
Predictions
League position: 16th.
Fulham rallied at the end of last season for 12th but another season of flirting with relegation looms.
Chances of managerial change: Not outlandish.
Many feel Coleman is well established and does as well as can be hoped on a tight budget. However, recent murmurings and press speculation concerning Al Fayed's attitude could combine with a poor season start to see a change of face in the dressing room.
Top scorer: Collins John.
Twelve goals last season marked him out as Fulham's top striker and the young Liberian is improving every season.
Player most likely to rock the boat: Steed Malbranque.
The saga has already begun. Fulham's French protege Malbranque has expressed his wish to leave the club, resulting in the martial-arts loving Coleman taking his usual combative stance. The slight of pre-season training with the youth team in Austria means Malbranque's departure is a question of when, not if.
Jamie Coggans.