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Fulham

England

Fulham Football Club is an English professional association football club located within Fulham, London. Fulham Football Club will be playing with the Premier League in the 2022-23 season after their promotion. Established in 1879, they are London's oldest soccer club that is a professional club.

The club has played over 27 consecutive seasons within English football's highest division, the majority of which were in two seasons during the 1960s and the 2000s. The latter was a time when the chairman was former Mohamed Al-Fayed, after the club made the climb up from the fourth division in the 1990s. Fulham have made it to two major finals in the year 1975. they were defeated 2-0 by West Ham United in the FA Cup Final as a Second Division team, and in 2010, they took on Atletico Madrid for their UEFA Europa League Final, losing 2-1 in extra-time.

Fulham's primary rivalries are with the other West London clubs Chelsea, Queens Park Rangers and Brentford. Fulham adopted the white shirt and black shorts as their uniform in 1903 and was used for the rest of its existence.

 

1. History

The story of Fulham Football Club is an English professional football club that is based within Fulham, West London, goes back to the club's founding in 1879.

1.1. 1879-1907 The formation as well as Southern League years

Fulham were founded in 1879. They were originally known as Fulham St Andrew's Church and was a Sunday School F.C., founded by a group of worshippers (mostly skilled in cricket) in Fulham's Church of England in Star Road, West Kensington (St Andrew's, Fulham Fields). The Fulham church is still standing today, with a memorial plaque that commemorates the team's founding. They took home the West London Amateur Cup in 1887, and after reducing names from Fulham St Andrews to its actual version in December 1888, they were then crowned the West London League in 1893 on their first try. One of the first kits consisted of half red, half white shirts and white shorts, worn during the season 1886-87. 8. Fulham began playing at their current stadium located at Craven Cottage in 1896, their first match was against disbanded rivals Minerva. Fulham are among the clubs with the longest-running history in the southern part of England that are currently playing professional football. However, there are many non-league teams such as Kent team Cray Wanderers who are several decades older.

The club became professional on the 12th of December in 1898. This was in the same year as they were accepted into Southern League's Second Division. They were the 3rd club from London to become professional following Arsenal and later named Royal Arsenal 1891, and Millwall in 1893. They adopted a white and red uniform during their 1896-1997 campaign. In the year 1902-03 the club received promotion from this divisionand was able to join in the Southern League First Division. The first time the club was officially white club kit was introduced in 1903 and since then , the club has been wearing all-white shorts and black shirts and socks that have gone through various variations of white or black however, they are now predominantly white. The club has won two times the Southern League twice, in 1905-06 and 1906-07.

1.2. From 1907 to 1949: Football League

Fulham was admitted to The Football League after the second of their Southern League triumphs. The first game of the club's league that was played within the second division of the 1907-08 season was a 1-0 loss at home against Hull City in September 1907. The first win was two days after that on Derby County's Baseball Ground by a score of 1-0. Fulham ended the season only three points shy of being promoted with a fourth-place finish. Fulham went through to the semi-finals of the season's FA Cup, a run which included an away victory against Luton Town. In the semi-final they were badly beaten by 6-0 Newcastle United. It's still the record for a loss in the FA Cup semi-final game.

A year later Fulham won in the London Challenge Cup in the 1909-10 season. The first season that Fulham played in Division Two proved to be the best that the club would reach for 21 years, and it would last until 1927-28, when Fulham was relegated into the 3rd Division South, created in 1920. Hussein Hegazi, an Egyptian forward, was among the first non-British players participate on the field of The Football League, though the only game he played was in the league for Fulham in 1911. The game was marked with a goal. He would later be playing for the non-league Dulwich Hamlet.

In the time of this the politician and businessman Henry Norris was the club chairman. He also had an uninvolved involvement in the formation of Fulham's rivals in the local league, Chelsea. After he rebuffed the offer of businessman Gus Mears to move Fulham to the site where the current Chelsea Stamford Bridge stadium Stamford Bridge is situated, Mears chose to form his own team and play at the stadium. It was in 1910 that Norris was able to merge his work as chairman of Fulham alongside his chairmanship at Arsenal. Fulham was one of the very first British team to offer hot dogs in their stadium in 1926. Fulham featured a variety of international high-profile players in the 1920s such as Len Oliver and Albert Barrett.

After finishing in the top three spots, with seventh, fifth as well as ninth (out from 22 teams) in their initial three seasons of the Third Division South, Fulham took the title in their 1931-32 campaign. They defeated Torquay United 10-2, won 24 of their 42 games, and had 111 goal scoring, thereby being promoted into the Second Division. In the following season, they failed to earn an additional promotion after being third in the table just behind Tottenham Hotspur and Stoke City. There was a mix of league performances ensued however, Fulham also made it to another FA Cup semi-final during the 1935-36 season. Fulham also had to draw against Austria in 1936, prior to Anschluss. On the 8th of October, 1938 Craven Cottage saw its all-time record attendance at an encounter against Millwall in a capacity of 49,335 fans watching the match.

1907–28 Football League Div. 2 (Tier 2)
1928–32 Football League Div. 3S (Tier 3)
1932–49 Football League Div. 2 (Tier 2)

Cup and league football were badly disrupted following the beginning of World War II in 1939 The Football League split into regional divisions, and with an all-national Football League War Cup and the London War Cup up for the taking. Craven Cottage was used like many other fields to train and exercise the army's reserve youth. After the war, a full league program was only reinstated in 1946-47. The third year, which is known as the modern era in soccer, Fulham ended up at the top of the Second Division, with a winning-loss-draw at 24-9-9 (identical to the record that earned their place in the Third Division South 17 years prior). John Fox Watson made a groundbreaking transfer into Real Madrid in 1948, becoming the very first soccer players in England United Kingdom to sign for an international team with a prominent name.

1.3. 1949–1970: First Division Cottagers

Being promoted to the top level in English football was a disaster for the team fail to perform and finish 17th in their debut season and 18th the following year. In their only third season in First Division football, Fulham was a shambles in the league with 22 teams during the 1951-52 campaign, winning just eight games out of 42. On the 20th of May, 1951 Fulham took part in their very first matches on the field in North America in an exhibition match against Celtic at Delorimier Stadium in Montreal in the presence of 29,000 fans.

1949–52 Football League Div. 1 (Tier 1)
1952–59 Football League Div. 2 (Tier 2)
1959–68 Football League Div. 1 (Tier 1)
1968–69 Football League Div. 2 (Tier 2)
 

One of the most influential person in the history of Fulham has to be Johnny Haynes. "Mr. Fulham" or "The Maestro," as Haynes became called, joined The Cottagers when he was a child in 1950. He made his debut in the team in the relegation battle on Boxing Day against Southampton at Craven Cottage in the 1951/52 Relegation season. Haynes continued to play for the club for an additional 18 years, racking up 657 games (along with a host of other club records as well) and his final appearance for Fulham being on 17 January 1970. He is often regarded as the best footballer in Fulham history, but he never was a part of any other team in Britain. He was awarded the country's highest number of caps, 56 for England (22 with the rank of captain) as captain, and many of them obtained when he played in Fulham within the Second Division. Haynes suffered injuries in a crash at Blackpool in 1962, however as he admitted, he did not recover the fitness or ability to be a part of England in the future, and he missed out on the victory of England in the FIFA World Cup 1966 for which he could have had the chance of being picked. Stevenage Road Stand Stevenage Road Stand was renamed in his honor following his passing in the vehicle accident in 2005.

Fulham made it to during the 1957-1958 FA Cup semi-finals, the most successful cup run in Haynes career, and the closest to a major trophy in England. The team was eliminated after a replay, by the remaining Manchester United's Busby Babes team that had suffered a devastating loss in the Munich air tragedy in the month preceding. United was the only team from the top division Fulham participated in during that cup competition. Fulham was promoted back into the First Division in the following season, finishing second behind Sheffield Wednesday. The other player who joined Fulham the year 1958 were Graham Leggat, who went scoring 134 goals across 277 appearances (making Fulham's fifth highest scorer in all time). The 1959-60 season was when Fulham finished tenth on the First Division, which until being in ninth place during the season 2003-04 was their best ever league ranking. The same season saw them make an appearance at the final four rounds of the FA Cup in 1962. At this point the club was playing in front of large fans in Craven Cottage, despite struggling in the league.

Fulham earned the reputation for always fighting being relegated in the majority of seasons, with many narrow escapes, none more so than 1965-66. The morning of the 26th of February 1966 Fulham was bottom, with only 15 points from 29 games. In the final 13 matches, Fulham win nine games and draw two, bringing them to the safety line. However the club was knocked out during the 1967-68 season having only won ten of 42 games. But that wasn't as devastating as the devastation of the following season. Only winning seven games in 42 The club was moved into third division. Third Division. (Note that this isn't identical to that of the Third Division South, as the regional Third Divisions had been removed in 1959, when the creation of the Fourth Division).

1.4. 1970–1994: Mixed fortunes outside the top flight

The mentioned Third Division hiatus lasted only two seasons before Fulham was relegated into the Second Division as runners-up in 1970-71. The time included Fulham being invited to participate in the Anglo-Italian Cup, which saw the club play four out of four games during the 1972-73. This was preceded by a series of notable signings for Fulham under Alec Stock in the mid-1970s that included Alan Mullery and Bobby Moore. Fulham made it to their first FA Cup final to date in 1975, after winning their first semi-final in just five attempts. Fulham lost 2-2 in the final to West Ham United in the final at Wembley Stadium. The club was then qualified for a second European tournament which is that of the Anglo-Scottish Cup, where they reached the finalbut fell to Middlesbrough.

1969–71 Football League Div. 3 (Tier 3)
1971–80 Football League Div. 2 (Tier 2)
1980–82 Football League Div. 3 (Tier 3)
1982–86 Football League Div. 2 (Tier 2)
1986–94 Football League Div. 3/2 (Tier 3)
 

George Best played 47 times during the season 1976-1977. Rodney Marsh, who having lived with Fulham in the 1960s , went into First Division football and play for England returned to the club in the same season playing just 16 times. It was the beginning of one of the best periods of Fulham history.

The club was relegated after they won just 11 matches in 42 games during the 1979-80 season. This ultimately led to Bobby Campbell's demotion in the month of October, 1980, being replaced with Malcolm Macdonald. With a strong team throughout his time in the charge (with players like Ray Houghton, Tony Gale, Paul Parker, Gerry Peyton and Ray Lewington) they were promoted again in 1981-82 in The Second Division, although the promotion was scuppered due to the death of ex- defensive player Dave Clement a few weeks before promotion was officially announced.

In the year 1980, Fulham founded the rugby league team that is today London Broncos designed to be an additional source of revenue for the football club but it suffered financial losses each year, while affiliated with Fulham F.C. Later, they were renamed "Fulham Rugby League" they were based on the grounds of Craven Cottage until moving away from Fulham F.C. in 1984.

The year was 1978 and Fulham were signed to the services of Gordon "Ivor" Davies who, in two stints with Fulham was the club's top goal scorer with an impressive 178 goals across every competition; the record is still in place. Fulham just missed out on promotion back-to-back in the First Division, losing 1-0 to Derby County away on the final day of 1982/83 campaign - even though the game was ended after 88 minutes because of an invasion of the pitch, and not replayed or concluded. The team that showed great promise was swiftly taken over by a buyer because the club was in debt, and it came as no surprise that Fulham was relegated into the Third Division in 1986. The club was close to going to the scrap heap in 1987 following an unwise merger that was unsuccessful with Queens Park Rangers. Only the help of former player Jimmy Hill that allowed the club to continue to operate by forming an entirely new entity, Fulham FC (1987) Ltd. In 1987 the club participated in the longest penalty decision ever recorded. It took 28 spot kicks to work out the winner between the two teams Aldershot after a Freight Rover Trophy match.

The year 1992 saw the formation of the Premier League, and the departure of 22 clubs from The Football League, restored Fulham to the league's Second Division. But, the team was removed to the Third Division after a poor 1993-94 season. Ian Branfoot was appointed as team manager.

1.5. 1994–1997: Fulham's lowest ebb

After finishing eighth during Branfoot's first year as manager The club sank to the lowest final league spot during the 1995-96 season which saw them finish 17th of the 24. Branfoot was fired as manager, however he was still at the club in various roles for a brief period. In February of 1996, Micky Adams became player-manager. Adams was responsible for a turnaround in performance that brought the club out of danger of relegation. In the following season, he crafted the team to finish second in the league and missed out on the top place due to the fact that a couple of years ago the league had abandoned the previous "goal difference" method in favor of an "goals scored" count, which meant that Fulham ended up finishing just behind Wigan Athletic. Fulham's president Jimmy Hill had argued in 1992 that goals scored should determine the teams' positions based by points. The Football League clubs had voted for the change.

1.6. 1997–2001: Al Fayed takeover

Egyptian billionaire Mohamed Al-Fayed bought the club for PS6.25 million in the summer of 1997. The club was bought through William Muddyman's Muddyman Group. Al-Fayed was Micky Adams replaced following an unsatisfactory beginning to the season. He appointed a two-tier manager "dream team" consisting of Ray Wilkins as First Team Manager and Kevin Keegan as chief operating officer, promising to see the team be in the Premier League within five years. After a disagreement over team selections, Wilkins left the club in May 1998 and handed all management duties to Keegan. Keegan was able to steer the club towards promotion following season, scoring 101 points of an possible 138, after having spent PS1.1 million to acquire Paul Peschisolido from West Bromwich Albion. Peschisolido was the top scorer, and was captained by Chris Coleman - then the most expensive player outside of the two top divisions in the English league.

The year 1999 saw Keegan was fired in 1999. Keegan left Fulham to become the manager of England in 1999, after which Paul Bracewell was put in charge. Bracewell was fired in March 2000, after Fulham's promising start to the season was shattered to a middle-table finishing. A Frenchman Jean Tigana was put in charge, and after signing several young stars (including French striker Louis Saha) He guided Fulham through their third promotions in the span of five seasons during the 2000-01 campaign which earned Fulham first-class distinction for only the second time since the year 1968. Fulham have again racked up 101 points of the possible 138 points during their thrilling title campaign, which was celebrated with an open-top bus parade along Fulham Palace Road. Fulham is the only team that has two times scored 100 points in one season. The season began when Chris Coleman was involved in a crash in his car that left him out of action for more than a year. He then was forced to retire from football in the event that he did not recover sufficiently. Fulham's journey through divisions saw a huge number of players leave the club as the only player who played for the club in all four leagues was Sean Davis.
1997–99 Football League Div. 2 (Tier 3)
1999–2001 Football League Div. 1 (Tier 2)
2001–14 Premier League (Tier 1)
 

1.7. 2001–2007: Early Premier League years

Fulham made a return to the upper league of English football and played within the Premier League for the first time. Fulham was in 13th position. Fulham are the first team to play top-flight football in some standing spaces in the 21st century. However because of the restrictions regarding standing, this was not permitted to continue teams who were promoted in the division two took just three years to make their stadium all-seater. Fulham were obliged to share their ground along with QPR on Loftus Road during the 2002-03 and 2003-04 seasons as Craven Cottage was rebuilt as an all-seated stadium. There was a fear that Fulham could not be allowed to be able to return to Craven Cottage when it was discovered that Al-Fayed sold the first rights to construct on the site to a property development company.

From 2002 to 2003, Fulham played the majority of their season on the bottom half of table. Chairman Al-Fayed informed the manager Jean Tigana that his contract will not be renewed until the conclusion year. With only five games remaining and a possibility of relegation, Tigana was sacked, and Chris Coleman was temporarily put as the manager. Fulham got 10 points from 15 possible points and escaped being relegated. Coleman became manager on a per-season basis in summer 2003. Despite the possibility that his lack of experience Coleman could lead to the club's demise, he kept the club from being relegated, leading Fulham to a record ninth place finish in his first season. The result could have been even better were the club not under substantial cost pressure to trade Louis Saha to Manchester United who paid them an all-time record PS13 million.

Fulham failed to win a legal battle against the former coach Tigana in 2004 when Al-Fayed incorrectly claimed that Tigana was in debt of the sum of PS7 million to newly signed players, and made transfers under cover.

Coleman put together another excellent performance during the 2004-05 season and helped Fulham to a respectable 13th place finishing. The subsequent season Fulham gained one spot and finished 12th. The most memorable moment for the campaign was an 1-0 victory against local rivals and the reigning champions Chelsea in the West London derby - Chelsea had lost just two games in the space of two years. The 2006-07 campaign proved to be Coleman's last since on April 10, 2007 Fulham ended his contract immediately. The successor came in the form of Northern Ireland manager Lawrie Sanchez. Fulham scored just four points in five matches with Sanchez as interim manager. They ensured their survival in the top flight this season, beating an under-performing Liverpool team 1-0 in the final match of the season. Sanchez was named manager.

1.8. 2007–2010: Hodgson's transformation

Sanchez was given a strong financial support of the Board, and was able to make a variety of deals during the summer break. However after only two league wins during the opening 5 months of campaign and having Fulham in the Relegation Zone Sanchez was fired on the 21st of December 2007 following an defeat against Newcastle United. [3333 Roy Hodgson was named as the new manager of Fulham on December 28, 2007 and was appointed to his contractual obligations on the 30th of December just two days before the opening of the transfer window.

Hodgson's tenure didn't start well , and it took him one month to win his first win in a 1-0 win against Aston Villa, courtesy of an Jimmy Bullard free-kick. Fulham continued to struggle , and losing 3-1 at home in April of rivals Sunderland caused Hodgson near tears at the end of the press conference. Many pundits were discrediting Fulham's chance of survival. Despite the criticism, Hodgson continued to believe the possibility of survival was achievable. The turning point in the season was in the final game of the season in the match against Manchester City.

Fulham were 2-0 down in the second half and, had Premier League scores at that time been a result the club would have been eliminated. But the arrival of Diomansy Kamara was the catalyst for an amazing comeback. Kamara scored twice during the game as Fulham won a thrilling 3-1 win. Fulham also won a crucial game against rivals Birmingham City at Craven Cottage and left the fate of Fulham's hands. If they don't get a goal rush from rivals Reading If they win, the Portsmouth team that is looking forward towards the Fourth FA Cup final would guarantee the club's survival.

After 15 minutes in Portsmouth, Fulham were drawing in the second half, in addition to Birmingham City and Reading leading comfortably against Blackburn Rovers and Derby County respectively, they appeared like they could be eliminated. But, Fulham earned a free-kick at 76 minutes of play Jimmy Bullard's pass brought in Danny Murphy, who headed into the goal that sealed the win and sparked a riot of celebrations by the fans who were travelling. Hodgson made sure that Fulham survived against every obstacle, breaking a number of club records and earning the place he holds in Fulham legends. Fulham barely missed the chance to secure the UEFA Cup place via Fairplay by a baffling 0.8 points. Manchester City, who lost 8-1 to Middlesbrough.

The 2008-09 campaign Fulham was seventh in the highest league position they have ever had qualifying them for the first UEFA Europa League, the second time the club has participated in the UEFA competition.

2009-10 was, in my opinion, the most successful year in the history of the club. Fulham were knocked out of the FA Cup in the quarter-finals for the second time in a row and ended up at 12th place in the Premier League, despite fielding weak teams in the final few games. In the debut Europa League season, however, Fulham reached the final and played Spanish Club Atletico Madrid, who had been eliminated from to the Champions League, at the Volksparkstadion in Hamburg. For their debut European cup final that they played in, Fulham were defeated 2-1. Cottagers were defeated 2-1 following extra time after having drawn 1-1 at the end of the full-time.

The success of being able to take Fulham in a surprising direction and beating teams such as Hamburger SV, Juventus, holders Shakhtar Donetsk and Basel in the tournament which resulted in Roy Hodgson being voted the LMA Manager of the Year with the largest range during the history of this award. The match at home during the Round of 16 was Fulham's most memorable performance in the time of the team. Despite losing 3-1 in first leg against Italian titans Juventus and being a minute behind into the second game in the second leg at Craven Cottage, Fulham scored four goals without a response from Juventus.

In the final week of the season Hodgson quit Fulham to run Liverpool.

1.9. 2010–2013: Established in the Premier League

On July 29, 2010 Mark Hughes was named the successor to Hodgson and signed an agreement for two years at the football club. Hughes was previously in charge of Manchester City, the Welsh national team, as well as Blackburn. Hughes' debut game as the manager took place with Bolton Wanderers at the Reebok Stadium. The most memorable game for the year was an 4-0 victory at the FA Cup over London rivals Tottenham Hotspur, all goals occurring in the first period. Hughes was dismissed as the manager of Fulham on June 2 of 2011, after less than 11 months with the club. The Whites finished the season with a positive note in eighth place and qualified for Europa League via Fairplay.

On June 7, 2011 Martin Jol signed a two-year contract with Fulham as the his successor to Hughes. Jol's first game was an three-goal Europa League win against NSI Runavik from the Faroe Islands on 30 June. Fulham were able to get through the group stage of the Europa League through late summer. But Fulham were eliminated in the group stage. Cottagers were eliminated with the final moments of the group stage match, Odense BK equalising to draw to leave Fulham third in the table in the table, with Polish club Wisla Krakow instead progressing to the next round.

Fulham's Premier League form in the season of 2011-12 was not perfect as the away record hanging over from previous seasons drags into the present. In October of 2011, Fulham had an emphatic victory at home against neighbors QPR and Andrew Johnson scoring a hat-trick for Fulham in the game. In January, the transfer window opened and was a time to see Bobby Zamora move over the Hammersmith flyover to Loftus Road as well as Russian forward Pavel Pogrebnyak coming in place from VfB Stuttgart.

Clint Dempsey scored a record for the club with fifty Premier League goals for Fulham between 2007 and 2012.

In the New Year saw two further Hat-tricks made by Clint Dempsey. On February 11, 2012, Progrebnyak scored his debut during the 2-1 victory against Stoke City. The month of March saw a 5-1 triumph over Wolverhampton Wanderers saw a hat-trick from Pogrebnyak. The Cottagers ended their drought on Merseyside by securing a 1-0 victory against Liverpool in Anfield during May Day and a second win over Sunderland at home in the final game . Fulham had just one point from equalizing their most points during the Premier League, with just one game left. But they were unable to reach this goal after losing their final game at home against Tottenham.

For the season 2012-13, Fulham finished off a 7-game losing streak by defeating Swansea City 3-0 away at the Liberty Stadium on the final game of the season on May 19th 2013. Fulham ended the season on the 12th spot.

1.10. 2013–present: Shahid Khan's ownership

Shahid Khan took over as chairman in July 2013 however, after a slow beginning to the 2013-14 season after only accumulating 10 points in thirteen games Martin Jol was sacked as manager on December 1st 2013 and Rene Meulensteen taking charge as the head coach. Meulensteen has been replaced by Felix Magath after just 17 games as manager following an inability to improve however, the fortunes didn't change, and Fulham were ultimately relegated to the Championship following a defeat of 4-1 at home to Stoke on the 3rd May. Following the season, the press criticized Shahid Khan's decision to fire Meulensteen and to appoint as the team's third coach of the year, in Magath.

Fulham broken the Championship record for transfers that summer, following a reorganization of the squad led by Magath however, following an unfun beginning to the new season, scoring only one point over 7 games Magath had to be dismissed in the month of September 2014and Kit Symons appointed as caretaker manager. Fulham ultimately finished with 17th place. Fulham had a difficult beginning to the new season and, following a loss of 5-2 at home against Birmingham City, and lying in 12th position, Kit Symons was sacked as manager in November. This led to Serbian Slavisa Jokanovic take over on the 27th of December, 2015. Fulham's fortunes didn't change much following Jokanovic's appointment. However, the club completed its 2015-16 Championship season in 20th position and avoided the drop with 11 points.

The 2016-17 season witnessed massive gains in both results and performance. Despite a slow start, the team showed improvements from the month of October to achieve a 6th place finish. They were in the play-offs but fell to Reading by a score of 2-1 during the semifinal. Despite an inexperienced beginning to the next season The club enjoyed an unbeaten record of 23 games in a run in the league , which resulted in a third-place finish just short of promotion automatically. The team then went on to beat Aston Villa in an EFL Championship play-off Final against Aston Villa to return to the Premier League on 26 May 2018.

After a disappointing beginning to life to the Premier League, Jokanovic was dismissed on the 14th of November, 2018 and was replaced by the former Leicester coach Claudio Ranieri. The results did not get better during the tenure of Ranieri and he quit at the end of February of this year. The club was replaced with Scott Parker as caretaker manager who was unable to save the club from being relegated on 3 April 2019. Parker was appointed manager permanently on May 10, 2019. After a season disrupted by the COVID-19 virus, Parker led the club straight back into the Premier League on 4 August 2020, when they defeated London opponents Brentford by a score of 2-1 in the final of the playoffs after the team finished 4th. But the club would was relegated following just one season in the top league following the team lost 2-0 to Burnley on the 10th of May in 2021. After the event of the relegation Parker was dismissed by mutual agreement and was replaced by the former Everton Manager Marco Silva.

After being dropped, Fulham under Silva earned promotion to the top of the league with three games left. Fulham won in the 2021-22 EFL Championship with a 7-0 win against Luton Town F.C.

2014–18 EFL Championship (Tier 2)
2018–19 Premier League (Tier 1)
2019–20 EFL Championship (Tier 2)
2020–21 Premier League (Tier 1)
2021–22 EFL Championship (Tier 2)
2022– Premier League (Tier 1)
 

2. Finances

Fulham Football Club is owned by Shahid Khan. Khan completed the buying of the team by acquiring it from Mohamed Al-Fayed on 12 July 2013, for an estimated price of between £150 and 200 million.

As the owner of Fulham, Al-Fayed had provided Fulham with £187 million in loans that were interest-free. In March of 2011, Fulham posted annual losses of £16.9 million and Al-Fayed saying that he will "continue to release funds to meet our objectives both in and off the field" in addition to stating that "the continuing achievement of Fulham and ultimately its sustainable financial sustainability is my goal." In the beginning of January, Fulham were effectively debt-free since Al-Fayed had transformed the loans into equity at the club.

Position Name
Chairman   Shahid Khan
Chief Executive Officer  Alistair Mackintosh
Finance Director  Sean O'Loughlin
Non-Executive Director  Mark Lamping

3. Kit manufacturers and shirt sponsors

Fulham's sponsorship through Betfair between 2002 and 2003 was the first ever gambling endorsement in English football. It was just before Gambling Act 2005 permitted the industry to promote its products on radio and television. within 15 years, half of Premier League teams were sponsored by these firms.

On the 27th of July, 2021 the announcement was made the fact that World Mobile would become the official partner for the next three years.

 

Period Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
1974–77 Umbro None
1977–81 Adidas
1981–84 Osca
1984–85 Umbro William Younger
1985–87 Prestige Travel
1987 Scoreline None
1988 Emirates
1988–90 TeleConnect
1990–91 Ribero
1991–92 None
1992–93 DMF Sportswear
1993–96 Vandanel GMB
1996–97 Le Coq Sportif
1997–98 Adidas
1998–2001 Demon Internet
2001–02 Pizza Hut
2002–03 Betfair.com
2003–05 Puma dabs.com
2005–06 Pipex
2006–07 Airness
2007–10 Nike LG
2010–13 Kappa FxPro
2013–15 Adidas Marathonbet
2015–17 Visit Florida
2017–18 Grosvenor Casinos
2018–20 Dafabet
2020–21 BetVictor
2021–2024 World Mobile

4. Current management

Position Name
Manager Portugal Marco Silva
Assistant Manager England Stuart Gray
First Team Coach Portugal Luis Boa Morte
Goalkeeping Coach Portugal Hugo Oliveira
Fitness Coach Portugal Goncalo Pedro
First Team Analyst Greece Antonios Lemonakis
Head of Performance Portugal Bruno Mendes
Fulham Academy Director England Mike Cave
Under 23s Head Coach England Steve Wigley
Under 18s Head Coach England Ali Melloul

5. Academy

Fulham F.C. Academy Fulham F.C. Academy is an academy for football situated in London. The Academy is headed by Director Hew Jennings, follows the same lines as many English football academies, as determined appropriate by the nation's authority, and was recently was granted the status of Category 2 in the latest EPPP guidelines formulated by the FA. The players that are part of the academy could be up to nine years old. young. In their course of training the academy provides young players with guidance towards gaining an BTEC as well as an NVQ certification.

The Fulham under 18's are the two-time the reigning league champions, but the previous year, they won their first National Academy Final beating Blackburn by 2-0, scoring goals from Cauley Woodrow, and Ryan Williams, losing to Everton at the same time in the previous year, scoring 2-1. Ronny Minkwitz scoring.

6. Fulham in Europe

Fulham F.C. is a member of the European Club Association, having been a three-time participant in European Competition, qualifying for the UEFA Intertoto Cup after their debut year with the Premier League, and the UEFA Europa League twice, they were part of their first edition of this competition following their club's best seventh-place finish during 2008/09 Premier League season, and were again selected for their 2011-12 Europa League via England's Fair Play qualification. Fulham have not lost in home matches in European competitionfor 23 games, and boast an overall winning streak of seventeen and 6 draws, which is second in Ipswich Town's European record.

On the 18th of February, 2010Fulham's unbeaten home streak in European competition grew to 13 games after they defeated UEFA Cup holders Shakhtar Donetsk of Ukraine by 2-1 on the pitch at Craven Cottage in the Europa League Round of 32's first leg, scoring goals scored by Zoltan Gera, and Bobby Zamora. Fulham has played 46 times across all European competitions (excluding that 2011 UEFA Europa League Final lost in extra-time) they've lost only seven games (all away) with a score of 2-1 against Hertha BSC, 1-0 to Amkar Perm, 2-1 to Roma 3-1 to Juventus 3-1 to Juventus, the score was 1-0 against Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk, 1-0 to Twente and 1-0 to Wisla Krakow.

After losing to Juventus on March 18, Fulham advanced to the quarterfinals, where they'll play German champions VfL Wolfsburg. On April 1, Fulham defeated the Germans by a score of 2-1 in the opening phase of the two-legged home and away series. Bobby Zamora and Damien Duff scored in the space of five minutes each other in the second period and Wolfsburg defence Alexander Madlung scored two minutes later to cut the deficit to half. The following week, at Wolfsburg Zamora scored a second time with a second goal, this time in first minute, giving Fulham a 3-1 advantage in the match. Wolfsburg did not manage to overcome the deficit of two goals, and Fulham reached the semi-finals. On the 22nd of April, after an extended coach journey due to flights being suspended due to Icelandic volcano, Icelandic volcanic eruption, Fulham were able to draw a 1-1 draw with Hamburger SV in the first phase of their semi-finals in Hamburg. On April 29 Fulham then defeated Hamburg with a 2-1 win in the final at Craven Cottage to secure a spot at the end of the game.

On the 12th of May, Fulham lost 2-1 after extra time with Atletico Madrid in the final. Fulham were 1-0 down but the game ended at with a draw after 90 minutes due to an Davies equalizer to force extra time. Diego Forlan, however, scored the winner in the 116th minute, securing the match for Fulham. Spanish team.

Fulham were selected to play in this season's UEFA Europa League by virtue of the Fair Play league. They began their campaign in the initial qualifying round, defeating NSI Runavik, followed by winning against Crusaders in the second qualifying round. A 3-1 aggregate win against Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk saw them into the group stage which saw them placed against Twente, Odense and Wisla Krakow in group K. They were eliminated from the tournament after Odense came back to draw an 2-2 draw at the end of the final game which left Fulham with no choice but to finish third with Krakow being eliminated along with Twente in the first.

6.1. Overall record

Accurate as of 13 August 2017

Competition Played Won Drew Lost GF GA GD Win%
UEFA Cup / UEFA Europa League 39 21 10 8 62 31 31 53.85
UEFA Intertoto Cup 8 4 4 0 11 5 6 50.00
Total 47 25 14 8 73 36 37 53.19

Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against. Defunct competitions indicated in italics.

7. Rivalries

Fulham supporters consider their primary adversaries as being Chelsea. Although this fixture wasn't frequently played during the time preceding Fulham's rise to the highest division, it is an obvious local derby because Chelsea's home ground, Stamford Bridge, is located in Fulham and is only 1.8 miles away from Craven Cottage.

Fulham think their second-tier competitors as Queens Park Rangers. Fulham defeated QPR twice during their 2011-12 Premier League season. They defeated QPR by 6-0 Craven Cottage, and also the 1-0 win away from home on Loftus Road. Both sides have played a number of times since the Championship.

The third most intense rivalry for Fulham is with Brentford the team they defeated with a 2-1 win on the 4th of August, 2020, in the Championship playoff final. Fulham also has relations with other London clubs, though to lesser degree and include Crystal Palace.

In addition to London, Gillingham are still thought of as rivals for certain Fulham supporters, despite the two clubs not playing within the same league since 2000-01. Fulham as well as Gillingham were both involved in a number of games that were tense in lower leagues, which included the death of an Fulham fan.

8. Supporters

The Fulham supporters have varied over the years, with large attendances being correlated with the team's success during Fulham's success in the Premier League. Fulham fans have been a crucial part in the club's long period presence in Craven Cottage. [citation needed] After the club relocated temporarily to Loftus Road the committee called Back to the Cottage was formedto ensure that the club played in their original home. Fulham supporters have historically come predominantly from Fulham and Hammersmith regions, as well as from other parts of South-West London, like Putney, Richmond, Sutton and Worcester Park.

The club's website asked fans on Facebook or Twitter to choose their favourite FFC Premier League XI from 2001 until the present. The supporters chose their top goalkeeper and full-backs, centre-backs, center midfielders, wingers and forwards, in a classic 4-2-4 formation.

9. Managers

Fulham been managed by 37 people over the span of 114 years. Before the introduction of their first manager of Fulham (Bradshaw who was appointed in 1904) The duties typically assigned to the modern-day manager were shared by the captain, secretary and the other club officials.

Fulham Managers
Name From To
England Harry Bradshaw 1904 1909
Scotland Phil Kelso 1909 1924
England Andy Ducat 1924 1926
England Joe Bradshaw 1926 1929
England Ned Liddell 1929 1931
England Jimmy McIntyre 1931 1934
England Jimmy Hogan 1934 1935
England Jack Peart 1935 1948
England Frank Osborne * 1948 1949
England Bill Dodgin, Sr. 1949 1953
England Frank Osborne* 1953 1956
Scotland Doug Livingstone 1956 1958
England Bedford Jezzard 1958 1964
England Vic Buckingham 1965 1968
England Bobby Robson 1968 1968
England Bill Dodgin, Jr. 1969 1972
England Alec Stock 1972 1976
England Bobby Campbell 1976 1980
England Malcolm Macdonald 1980 1984
England Ray Harford 1984 1986
England Ray Lewington 1986 1990
England Alan Dicks 1990 1991
Scotland Don Mackay 1991 1994
England Ian Branfoot ** 1994 1996
England Micky Adams 1996 1997
England Ray Wilkins 1997 1998
England Kevin Keegan† 1998 1999
England Paul Bracewell 1999 2000
France Jean Tigana 2000 2003
Wales Chris Coleman 2003 2007
Northern Ireland Lawrie Sanchez 2007 2007
England Roy Hodgson 2007 2010
Wales Mark Hughes 2010 2011
Netherlands Martin Jol 2011 2013
Netherlands René Meulensteen §± 2013 2014
Germany Felix Magath 2014 2014
Wales Kit Symons 2014 2015
Serbia Slaviša Jokanović ± 2015 2018
Italy Claudio Ranieri 2018 2019
England Scott Parker ± 2019 2021
Portugal Marco Silva ± 2021  

 

  • * Frank Osborne was employed continuously by the club between 1948 and 1963, but he was only employed for those two years as designated manager.
  • ** Ian Branfoot continued to be employed by the club after his dismissal as manager.
  • Kevin Keegan was employed by the club as the chief of operations (during which he played the role of assistant manager) at the period of the manager before him (Ray Wilkins) as the manager.
  • § Rene Meulensteen was appointed as head coach under former coach Martin Jol (during which time basically he was Assistant Manager) however, he never took the title of "manager" following Jol's departure despite taking on the duties normally given to one. He remained the head coach for four days following Magath's appointment until he was released.
  • ± Certain managers have had the official title that of "head coach" instead of "manager": Rene Meulensteen, Slavisa Jokanovic, Scott Parker Marco Silva, and Scott Parker, and the interim the head coach Peter Grant.

9.1. Managerial records:

  • One man has been the manager of the club for two distinct periods, Frank Osborne, in 1948-49 and 1953-56.
  • The longest time in the role of Fulham manager was managed by Phil Kelso, 15 years (1909-1924)
  • Many managers have failed to last for more than a year with the club: Bobby Robson, Ray Wilkins, Paul Bracewell, Lawrie Sanchez, Mark Hughes, Rene Meulensteen, Felix Magath, and Claudio Ranieri. In addition, Frank Osborne only had one year following his first appointment at the club, in which he was primarily responsible for the club (before Dodgin, senior) came in), but later assumed sole responsibility over the entire club a lengthy time.

9.2. Temporary managers

The temporary managers of the club include:

  • Johnny Haynes: Took over the role of Sir Bobby Robson was fired in 1968 after only playing one or two matches. The Maestro was offered the position for a long time, but he was not able to become an administrator.
  • Karl-Heinz Riedle: when Paul Bracewell was dismissed halfway through the 1999-2000 campaign, there was a brief season of Fulham being directed under their star striker Karl-Heinz Riedle, assisted his former manager of Liverpool, Roy Evans. Riedle was injured during the final game of the season.
  • Chris Coleman: after Tigana quit four months earlier than planned the resignation in 2003. Chris Coleman was appointed as interim manager in the joy of supporters. Although he initially denied wanting the job, Coleman accepted the role of full-time manager during the summer.
  • Lawrie Sanchez When Coleman was dismissed, Sanchez came in to manage the team for the remaining 5 games in the league. 
  • Ray Lewington: took temporary control of Fulham for three matches in the wake of Lawrie Sanchez's demotion at the end of December 2007. Lewington also assumed temporary control of Fulham in the month July of 2010 following the announcement that Roy Hodgson had left the club before his appointment as Mark Hughes.
  • Kit Symons: temporarily took the reins of Fulham following Felix Magath's resignation in September 2014, before being appointed on the 29th of October.
  • Peter Grant: took charge of Fulham for three games following Kit Symons' dismissal.
  • Stuart Gray: succeeded Grant as interim manager (holding the name as "senior coach") following poor performance in Grant's first three games in control while the board searched for a permanent successor for Kit Symons.
  • Scott Parker: took over as caretaker following Claudio Ranieri left the club on February 28, 2019, until he was appointed permanently on May 10, 2019.

10. Grounds

Between 1879 until the time Fulham had a stadium to claim as it theirs in 1896, the club played in a variety of stadiums, however only a handful of them were documented and shouldn't be taken as a complete or comprehensive list. The only exceptions are former landlords and rivals. Queens Park Rangers have played at other home stadiums. The first stadiums listed below are likely to have been parks or parkland, but they have now been expanded. When the club bought Craven Cottage and the surrounding land in 1894, they were required to wait for two years before playing in the grounds.

  • 1879-83: "The Mud Pond 1879-83: 'The Mud Pond' Star Road, Fulham
  • 1883-86: Lillie Road, Fulham
  • From 1886 to 88 Ranelagh House, Fulham
  • 1888-1989 Barn Elms Playing Fields, Barnes (this was the location that was The Ranelagh Club)
  • The period 1889-91 was Parsons Green, Fulham and Roskell's Fields (next to Parsons Green Underground station)
  • The period 1891-1995 was Half Moon, Putney
  • 1895-96: Captain James Field, near Halford Road, West Brompton
  • 1896-2002: Craven Cottage, Fulham
  • 2002-04 Loftus Road Shepherd's Bush (groundshare with Queens Park Rangers during Craven Cottage's refurbishment)
  • 2004-2004: Craven Cottage as also Craven Cottage, Fulham Academy and 1st team training and practice on Motspur Park- Fulham

11. Honours

Honours Number Years
League
English second tier Champions 3 1948–49, 2000–01, 2021–22
English second tier Runners-up 1 1958–59
English second tier Play-off Winners 2 2018, 2020
English third tier Champions 2 1931–32, 1998–99
English third tier Runners-up 1 1970–71
English fourth tier Runners-up 1 1996–97
Southern League First Division Champions 2 1905–06, 1906–07
Domestic cups
FA Cup Runners-up 1 1974–75
European cups
UEFA Europa League Runners-up 1 2009–10
UEFA Intertoto Cup Winners 1 2002
Misc.
London Challenge Cup Winners 3 1909–10, 1931–32, 1951–52
Anglo-Scottish Cup Runners-up 1 1975–76
MLS All-Star Challenge Runners-up 1 2005

12. Statistics

The following article features the records and statistics of Fulham Football Club, based in Fulham, West London.

12.1. Player appearances

Five Fulham members who've played in the team's starting lineup more than 150 times, and all of them have been retired from football:

  • Johnny Haynes – 658
  • Eddie Lowe – 511
  • Les Barrett – 491
  • Frank Penn – 459
  • George Cohen – 459

12.2. Current

The players who have the highest number of appearances in all forms , who are still with the club at the time of the 3rd May 2022 include:

12.3. Goalscorers

Seven players be credited with scoring more than 100 goals at the club. and all of whom have quit football:

  • Gordon Davies – 178
  • Johnny Haynes – 158
  • Bedford Jezzard – 154
  • Jim Hammond – 150
  • Graham Leggat – 134
  • Arthur Stevens – 124
  • Steve Earle – 108

 

12.4. Current

The three top goal scorers who are currently with the club as of May 2022 were:

  • Aleksandar Mitrović – 96
  • Tom Cairney - 41
  • Neeskens Kebano - 24

 

12.5. Highest transfer fees paid

 

  Name From Fee Date
1  André-Frank Zambo Anguissa  Marseille £22.8M 2018
2  Aleksandar Mitrović  Newcastle £22M 2018
3  Jean Michaël Seri  Nice £18M 2018
4  Alfie Mawson  Swansea £15M 2018
5  Kostas Mitroglou  Olympiacos £12.4M 2014
6  Harry Wilson  Liverpool £12M 2021
7  Steve Marlet  Lyon £11.5M 2001
8  Ross McCormack  Leeds United £11M 2014
9  Bryan Ruiz  Twente £10.6M 2011
10  Andy Johnson  Everton £10.5M 2008

12.6. Highest transfer fees received

  Name To Fee Date
1  Ryan Sessegnon  Tottenham Hotspur £25M 2019
2  Mousa Dembélé  Tottenham Hotspur £18M 2012
3  Louis Saha  Manchester United £12.4M 2004
4  Chris Smalling  Manchester United £12M 2010
5  Ross McCormack  Aston Villa £12M 2016
6  Clint Dempsey  Tottenham Hotspur £6M 2012
7  Jimmy Bullard  Hull City £5M 2009

12.7. Player of the season

  • 2021–22: Aleksandar Mitrović
  • 2020–21: Alphonse Areola
  • 2019–20: Aleksandar Mitrović
  • 2018–19: Calum Chambers
  • 2017–18: Tim Ream
  • 2016–17: Tom Cairney
  • 2015–16: Ross McCormack
  • 2014–15: Ross McCormack
  • 2013–14: Ashkan Dejagah
  • 2012–13: Dimitar Berbatov
  • 2011–12: Clint Dempsey
  • 2010–11: Clint Dempsey
  • 2009–10: Zoltán Gera
  • 2008–09: Mark Schwarzer
  • 2007–08: Simon Davies
  • 2006–07: Brian McBride
  • 2005–06: Brian McBride
  • 2004–05: Luís Boa Morte

12.8. Milestones

Fulham have not won an important trophy, but they have many accomplishments. Below, you will find a list of each trophy and league is identified by the names they were awarded in the past, and which because of practical and commercial reasons have changed over the years. For more details, check out the individual articles of each league here.

  • 1885 – London FA Cup quarter-finalists
  • 1886 – West London Cup winners, beating St Matthew's 2–1 in the final
  • 1891 – West London Observer Cup winners, Billy Mugford scored a hat-trick when they beat local rivals Stanley 5–3 in a replay.
  • 1892 – West London League champions
  • 1892 – Middlesex Senior Cup quarter-finalists
  • 1892 – London Senior Cup quarter-finalists
  • 1893 – West London League champions
  • 1893 – West London Cup runners-up
  • 1893 – West London Observer Cup runners-up, lost 3–2 to QPR
  • 1896 – London Senior Cup runners-up
  • 1897–88 – London League runners-up (to Barnet F.C.)
  • 1899–1900 – Southern League Second Division, finished runners-up to Watford F.C.
  • 1901–02 – Southern League Second Division champions (lost Test (play-off) and was subsequently not promoted)
  • 1902–03 – Southern League Second Division Second Division champions
  • 1904–05 – Southern League Second Division Second Division champions
  • 1906 – Southern League (1st Division) Champions
  • 1907 – Southern League (1st Division) Champions
  • 1907 – Admission to The Football League as Southern League Champions
  • 1908 – FA Cup Semi-Finalists
  • 1910 – London Challenge Cup winners (and 1931 and 1951)
  • 1912 – FA Cup Quarter-Finalists
  • 1926 – FA Cup Quarter-Finalists
  • 1932 – Division Three South Champions
  • 1936 – FA Cup Semi-Finalists
  • 1939 – FA Cup Quarter-Finalists
  • 1948 – FA Cup Quarter-Finalists
  • 1949 – Division Two Champions
  • 1951 – FA Cup Quarter-Finalists
  • 1958 – FA Cup Semi-Finalists
  • 1959 – Promotion from Division Two
  • 1962 – FA Cup Semi-Finalists
  • 1968 – League Cup Quarter-Finalists (highest ever finish)
  • 1971 – Promotion from Division Three
  • 1975 – FA Cup Finalists
  • 1975 – Anglo-Scottish Cup Finalists
  • 1982 – Promotion from Division Three
  • 1997 – Promotion from Division Three
  • 1999 – Division Two Champions
  • 2001 – Division One Champions
  • 2002 – FA Cup Semi-Finalists
  • 2002 – UEFA Intertoto Cup winners
  • 2003 – UEFA Cup 3rd round
  • 2004 – Ninth-place finish in the Premier League
  • 2009 – Seventh-placed finish in the Premier League; highest-ever finish, qualify for Europa League
  • 2010 – UEFA Europa League finalists, defeating Juventus 4–1 at home en route to the final.
  • 2011 – Eighth-place finish in the Premier League.[54] Europa League qualification via Fair Play league
  • 2012 – Defeated rivals Queens Park Rangers 6–0 in October with Andy Johnson scoring Fulham's first ever Premier League hat-trick.[citation needed] Finish in 9th.
  • 2018 – Promotion from the EFL Championship to the Premier League via the play-offs, defeating Aston Villa 1–0 in the final at Wembley Stadium on 26 May.
  • 2020 – Promotion from the EFL Championship to the Premier League via the play-offs, defeating Brentford 2–1 in the final at Wembley Stadium on 4th August.

12.9. Fulham in Europe

 

Season Competition Round Country Club Score
2002–03 UEFA Intertoto Cup 2R Finland Haka 0–0, 1–1 (away goal)
3R Greece Egaleo 1–0, 1–1
SF France Sochaux 1–0, 2–0
F Italy Bologna 2–2, 1–3
Season Competition Round Country Club Score
2002–03 UEFA Cup 1R Croatia Hajduk Split 1–0, 2–2
2R Croatia Dinamo Zagreb 3–0, 2–1
3R Germany Hertha BSC 1–2, 0–0
 

12.9.1. 2009–10 Europa League

 

Group stage: final table

Date Round Opponents H / A Result
F – A
Attendance
30 July Third qualifying round, 1st leg  VÄ—tra A 3–0 5,900
6 August Third qualifying round, 2nd leg  VÄ—tra H 3–0 15,016
20 August Play-off round, 1st leg  Amkar Perm H 3–1 13,029
27 August Play-off round, 2nd leg  Amkar Perm A 0–1 20,000
17 September Group stage  CSKA Sofia A 1–1 28,000
1 October Group stage  Basel H 1–0 16,100
22 October Group stage  Roma H 1–1 23,561
5 November Group stage  Roma A 1–2 20,000
3 December Group stage  CSKA Sofia H 1–0 23,604
16 December Group stage  Basel A 3–2 20,063
18 February Round of 32, 1st leg  Shakhtar Donetsk H 2–1 21,832
25 February Round of 32, 2nd leg  Shakhtar Donetsk A 1–1 47,509
11 March Round of 16, 1st leg  Juventus A 1–3 11,402
18 March Round of 16, 2nd leg  Juventus H 4–1 23,458
1 April Quarter-final, 1st leg  VfL Wolfsburg H 2–1 22,307
8 April Quarter-final, 2nd leg  VfL Wolfsburg A 1–0 24,843
22 April Semi-final, 1st leg  Hamburger SV A 0–0 49,171
29 April Semi-final, 2nd leg  Hamburger SV H 2–1 25,700
12 May Final  Atlético Madrid N 1–2 49,000
Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
Italy Roma 6 4 1 1 10 5 5 13
England Fulham 6 3 2 1 8 6 2 11
Switzerland Basel 6 3 0 3 10 7 3 9
Bulgaria CSKA Sofia 6 0 1 5 2 12 −10 1

12.9.2. 2011–12 Europa League

 

Group stage: final table

Date Round Opponents H / A Result
F – A
Attendance
30 June First qualifying round, 1st leg  NSI H 3–0 14,910
7 July First qualifying round, 2nd leg  NSI A 0–0 1,245
14 July Second qualifying round, 1st leg  Crusaders A 3–1 2,477
21 July Second qualifying round, 2nd leg  Crusaders H 4–0 14,910
28 July Third qualifying round, 1st leg  Split A 0–0 4,000
4 August Third qualifying round, 2nd leg  Split H 2–0 17,087
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification   TWE WK FUL OB
1  Twente 6 4 1 1 14 7 7 13

Advance to 

knockout phase

  4–1 1–0 3–2
2  WisÅ‚a Kraków 6 3 0 3 8 13 −5 9   2–1 1–0 1–3
3  Fulham 6 2 2 2 9 6 3 8     1–1 4–1 2–2
4  Odense 6 1 1 4 9 14 −5 4   1–4 1–2 0–2  —

13. Club mascot

The Fulham Mascot is Billy the Badger. He was the winner of the design that was submitted by Kyle Jackson after an online competition organised by the club. Billy is wearing the number 79 on his Fulham shirt, which refers to the year of the club's the club's founding in 1879. There was controversy about Billy after he attempted to cheer on Chelsea coach Avram Grant in a match at home before the television cameras. Second, Billy was seen on the television channel being dismissed in the home match in the match against Aston Villa on 3 February 2008, for breaking dance in the middle of the field following the start of the game. Billy blamed his poor hearing as well as his eyesight to be the reason for this incident and apologized to the referee Chris Foy. On March 11, 2009 Billy crossed the line during the game but it was not noticed by the official. The old mascot of Fulham used to be Sir Craven from Cottage, also known as the Knight. The cheerleaders were referred to as the Cravenettes.dividual leagues from here.