Cottagers find their perfect home (Fulham F.C.)

Member Name: C_Padd

Product:	Fulham F.C.
Date:	22/09/01 (16 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good players and manager, and plenty of money to spend with Al Fayed in the background

Disadvantages: Getting a bit big for their boots maybe?

So Fulham finally made it to the cream of football, the Premier League with just a little help from Harrods owner Mohammad Al Fayed. Will the Londoners cope with the tough new division, or will they sink in a blaze of failure and disappointment?

Early signs suggest they are easily coping with life at the top, yet have been overshadowed by fellow new boys Bolton in the race for the top. It has not however been all bad, Fulham were unlucky to lose to Manchester United 3-2 on the first day of the season, not many teams can say that. They then beat UEFA cup ambitious Sunderland 2-0, but a 3-1 loss in the London (should that be French) derby at the weekend. Certainly with Al Fayed’s millions there is a rather large transfer wallet in the background, but can Fulham realistically challenge for a European spot, or maybe more.

The Squad
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Defence –

Ed van der Saar was one of the biggest transfer moves for Fulham in the summer, arriving from Italian giants Juventus. The current Dutch number one has won over 40 caps, including Euro 2000, 96 and World Cup 98 honours and played in the recent friendly against England. A superb keeper with good relflexes and agility he came through the fabled Ajax youth team, which won the European Cup in 1995.

Rufus Brevett was one of Kevin Keegan’s signings while he was at the London club. A good left back who likes to get forward, is a good crosser and comfortable on the ball, but does not neglect his defensive jobs.

Chris Coleman suffered a horrific injury during last season, breaking both legs badly in a car accident, the Welsh international is a key member of the defence, strong inspirational, he began his career at Crystal Palace, before joining Fulham from Blackburn.

Andy Melville joined from Sunderland two years ago, the solid Welshman is a rock in the centre of Fulham’s defence. Not all girt and power, Melville can again play with the
ball at his feet and has captained the team on occasions

Kit Symons is yet another Welshman at the back for Fulham since joining from the blue half of Manchester in 1998. Scored plenty of goals last season as Fulham walked to the division one crown.

Alain Goma is the first of many Frenchman at Fulham, but joined later than some, arriving in early 2001 from Newcastle. Played much of his football with Auxrrue in France but is proven with the Geordies he is capable of Premiership action.

Jon Harley is another new arrival at the Cottage, making the short journey from Chelsea in the summer. A quick and skilful left back he came through the youth ranks at the bridge but failed to make much of an impact on the foreign legion, so moved across London to find more first team action. His good displays last year caught the eye of many, and was seen as one of the answers to England’s left back problem.

Midfield –

Steve Finnan is a versatile player that can easily fit into a defensive or midfield role. A full international with the Republic of Ireland the right sided player is a hot talent with good ball skills, and plenty of skill.

Lee Clark was forced out of Sunderland, after wearing an inappropriate T-Shirt to Newcastle’s FA cup final in 1998. The mackems loss has been Fulham’s gain as the midfielder has been a key member of the promotion team. A hard worker and good at distributing the ball, Lee runs the midfield well.

John Collins has worked with Jean Tigana at French side Monaco, before joining Fulham from Everton last year. A skilful and creative midfielder the Scottish international has played for Celtic and Hibernian before moving south, and has played in several international tournaments for the Scots.

Steed Malbranque is still young but the Frenchman comes with plenty of full games and potential under his belt. Played for France at youth level, Steed has not made it on
to the full international scene just yet, but current form shows he is not far away. A very quick and attack minded midfielder he has already shown what he can do, and scored his first goal for the club in the London derby against Arsenal.

Sean Davis has come through the youth system at Fulham, and has now worked his way into the England U-21 set up. A good goal scorer, with a good eye for goal from distance the strong and determined player scored the goal that sent Fulham up to the Premiership, and is one of their brightest prospects.

Bjarne Goldbaek like Jon Harley made the short trip from rivals Chelsea to join Fulham. The Danish international is one of the older members of the squad, but comes with plenty of experience. A good passer, tough tackling and runs on and off the ball, Bjarne is a great midfielder and is a good member of the team.

Eddie Lewis is an American international and combines experience and youth nicely. Rated very highly back in America he is lightening quick with a fair shot on him his is a good player to have in the squad

Sylvain Legwinski joined Fulham from French side Bordeaux in the summer. He has played under Tigana at Monaco he is a good midfielder accurate passer and links well. Can also score some and will be looking to link up with French team-mates.

Strikers -

Steven Marlet is the clubs record signing at £11.5 million joining just recently. Part of Tigane’s French army Marlet is a full French international. A skilful and entertaining striker he has a proven record with two top French teams, Lyon and Auxerre and will be looking to displace others for a place with the World and European Cup winners France for 2002.

Louis Saha was the top scorer in division one last year, and was voted player of the year by Nationwide. One of the most important reasons for Fulham’s rise, Tigana picked Saha from obscurity at French side Metz to become one of the hottest
strikers in England. Skilful, pacey and an eye for goal he is again vital for Fulham to succed at this level

Luis Boa Morte was turned from an outcast at Southampton to star in Fulham’s promotion push. Arsene Wenger spotted the Portuguese talent, but failed to make an impact so was pushed down the South coast. Quick and dangerous with the ball at his feet Luis formed a great partnership with Louis Saha, setting up many and scoring a few himself.

Barry Hayles joined from Pirates Bristol Rovers three years ago and has never looked back. Started at Stevenage he was a top scorer and attracted Bristol’s attention, where he transferred his scoring records. A very hard worker with tireless runs, he is good at running forward with the ball and defenders hate that. A great signing, but is not getting any younger.

The Boss
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Jean Tigana has been a revelation since joining Fulham in April 2000. The Frenchman has brought in a whole new way of thinking to the Fulham side, and epitomises the teams style and ambition. He introduced new thinking, such as dieticians, tactics and passing game that players soon adapted too and the whole think clicked. He also has a great knack of getting the most from the squad he has, he turned Luis Boa Morte from a Southampton reject to international, the same with others, Barry Hayles, Chris Coleman and Symons all are playing at the best form of their lives and he picked Saha up from total obscurity. As a player Tigana was regarded as one of the best French players of his time appearing in several top tournaments including a semi-final finish at the 1982 World Cup and winning the 1986 European Championships. He worked his way up from local team Toulon, Lyon Bordeaux and Marseilles. He enjoyed plenty of domestic success and set a record for the transfer fee when moving between Lyon and Bordeaux. Tigana was also a part of Marseilles 1991 loss in the European Cup final, but was not invo
lved a year later when they were striped of the crown, fined and banned from Europe. As a manager he is most famous for working with Manaco, a link that has seen him build the Fulham team around it. John Collins played under him, as did Sylvain Legwinski. He also knew Saha and others and in building the perfect team. At the time in Monaco was a great time as they became one of the top teams in Europe and France. A team including David Trezeguet, Fabien Barthez, Manu Petit, Thierry Henry and more. Under Tigana Monaco reached the semis of the UEFA Cup, the following year they beat Manchester United as they again did well in the Champions League. Renowned for a creative passing and attacking midfield, Tigana liked to attack and also play good football. Certainly expect some entertainment this year with him in charge.


The Chairman
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So money never buys you happiness? Maybe not but it sure can buy success and promotion in the world of football, just ask Max Griggs and Mohammed Al Fayed. The Egyptian multi-million air started getting involved over four years ago, when the team first achieved promotion from the third division. He invested plenty of his own money to make Fulham’s financial future safe, also recently splashing out on plenty of new (and expensive) talent. He has also funded the building of a state of the art training facility for the London team, and likes to take an active involvement in club affairs and is often at games, where he gets a warm reception from the Fulham faithful. A new stadium looks set to be on the way also funded by Mr. Fayed, so clearly the bank balance is still pretty good for Jean Tigana. Mohammad Al Fayed is better know for his Harrods department store, a very plush shopping place in the centre of London’s shopping district. He is also well know for something he does not have, namely a British passport. His request was refused when he first applied, amid a bit of an argument, b
ut I will say no more. Undoubtedly Fulham would not be a Premiership force without him, nowhere near as good and more likely a second or third division side.


Foreigners in England?
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He has also brought with him plenty of his fellow countrymen to join him. They may all be quality players, but will they hamper the youth system at Fulham? It all brings back to the large debate of foreigners in England, but Sean Davies has made it through and is now regarded as one of the hottest young midfield prospects around. It is a grey area, undoubtedly Saha and Malbranque are quality and if the youngsters are still coming through it is fine, but they are taking up first team places that could go to young British players. The argument will clearly go on for some time, and no clear answer is in sight.

Prospects for this year
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Overall I was more than a bit dubious when Fulham first entered the Premiership. They had won the first division at walking speed, but as many clubs have found there is often a large gap between the two divisions. They had also not been very active in the transfer market until recently. With a side cobbled together from reflects and past players such as Coleman, Goldbaek, Hayles, Symons, Brevett, Collins and Melville to name a few they could have found the Premiership a struggle and found lacking. It may have been good enough to get them out of the first division, but I doubted if they could succeed at the very top. Indeed I believed that the other two newly promoted sides, Blackburn and Bolton were much better equipped than the Londoners. Bolton have proved me right, but Blackburn have been inconsistent and never brilliant, but it was Fulham’s early performances that have really made me eat my words. To come away from Old Trafford with disappointment not to win is fantastic and they have continued to put in some great performances. When the c
heckbook for new players did come out it was clear that Al Fayed and Tigana were not afraid to spend big, and had an eye for quality and bargains. The Dutch keeper Ed van der Saar will be a big player (in more ways than one, he is over 6ft 5) and is one of the best in the business. Malbranqe looks to be a quality passer and attaching midfielder, Saha has showed his is in his true home and Jon Harley is a potential England player.

All in all Fulham look set to take the Premiership by storm. They are well equipped to bring in bug money players, but it is clear they are not going to waste £40 million like some clubs. There is good sense there, and with a quality squad and a good manager, maybe it is not too soon to be going for a UEFA Cup spot, and from there who knows, World Domination?

Summary: