Roy Hodgson’s Fulham have won plenty of admirers this season, constantly defying the odds both domestically and more significantly in Europe to find itself only ninety minutes away from a first European trophy on Thursday.
Hamburg maybe the venue but Fulham’s journey to the Europa League final arguably began in the 2001/2002 season when they returned to the top flight for the first time since 1968, under the stewardship of owner Mohamed Al-Fayed and then French manager Jean Tigana.
A succession of managers followed the club’s various struggles with flirtations with relegation to mid-table mediocrity, with Tigana, Chris Coleman and Lawrie Sanchez all heading out the door of the South West London club, before Al-Fayed turned to former Blackburn Rovers manager Roy Hodgson, the journeyman tactician whose resume had seen him work in Sweden, Switzerland, Finland, and most notably at the helm of Champions League finalist Inter Milan in two separate spells.
Al Fayed’s faith in the mercurial Hodgson has seen a once unfashionable outfit into one of the true surprise packets of European football.
A first season at the helm saw the English manager hailed as a saviour as a Danny Murphy goal saved Fulham from relegation, but it was the following season in 2008/2009, that Hodgson’s managerial magic began to shine through.
A quarter-final defeat to Manchester United in the FA Cup, and a seventh placed finish for the Cottagers was just reward for fans, players and manager alike as Fulham earned a place in the newly formed Europa league for the following season.
2009/2010 has seen Craven Cottage play host to some of the biggest names in Europe, including last season’s German champion Wolfsburg, Hamburg, Scott Chipperfield’s Basle and Italian giants Roma and Juventus.
The Cottage has proven to be a veritable fortress for Hodgson’s men who defied the odds of a limited squad and injures to crush former European champion Juventus 4-1 after looking on the brink of an exit following a 3-1 defeat in Turin.
Wins over Wolfsburg home and away and a come from behind performance against Hamburg has ensured Hodgson will get his chance to go one better than the 1997 UEFA Cup final where his Inter Milan side finished runner-up to Schalke 04.
The ethos behind the success of the traditionally family run club that is Fulham Football Club lies with the humble nature of those who have contributed to its success, from the players through to the manager. There are no stars at the club, no big egos.
Yet players like Australian Mark Schwarzer, American Clint Dempsey, Irish winger Damien Duff, Hungarian Zoltan Gera and the often chided but now much loved Bobby Zamora have proved to be the lynchpins in a season which could well culminate in European glory, but all remain steadfastly grounded and genuinely humble.
On the domestic front while clear Europe has been its priority, Hodgson has still turned Fulham into a strong unit, as wins at home over Manchester United and Liverpool proved.
While its away form left plenty to be desired, another strong run in the FA Cup only to bow out to Tottenham in the Sixth round was all but an entrée to what lies ahead in Hamburg this Thursday.
The main attention maybe on the Santiago Bernabéu the following weekend, but there is no doubt Fulham has made the neutrals sit up and watch this season. The Champions League has its glitz and appeal, but this week all eyes will be tuned to a small club that lies on the Thames and a side that has provided more surprises this season than you get in a Tarantino film.
Football has its fairytales, and should the Cottagers come up trumps this week, it will go down in sporting folklore as a true achievement for a truly traditional club.
Here’s hoping.
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