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There is not much to say other than the fact that it has been a magical season for Fulham and it culminated with qualification into next seasons' Europa League!! Enough said.
Credit goes to Roy Hodsgon and his players for this unbelieveable season for the Cottagers. To go from near relegation last season to a European place this season is beyond belief.
This team was put together well and played consistently all season long. While the loss to Everton in the final match of the season hurt some, Liverpool helped us out by beating Tottenham and giving Fulham the Europa League spot.
As a Fulham supporter I could not be more proud of this team and what it has accomplished against all odds this season. I am already looking forward to the next season starting now.
Throughout the offseason I will be updating this blog with random thoughts about the team including transfer talk and what to expect for next season.
I will leave you with this question......while the season just recently ended, am I the only person who is nervous that this year's success will be tough to repeat? What does Fulham need to do this offseason to solidify its' place in the top ten for the next few seasons?
Comments
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Posted by Ken Kendra on 05/26/2009
One word: DEPTH. The back four is solid as is Schwarzer. That is our strength. But I would like to see more depth in the midfield to give Hodgson more options. Europe means more fixtures on the schedule and we can't afford tired legs in April. We've had good success getting U.S. talent from the MLS, and Landon Donovan may be available. He has more talent than Europeans give him credit for and he would feel more comfortable at Fulham than any other roster since the fans are used to U.S. star players. Another option is to grab some good players on the cheap from squads struggling financially. Perhaps grab some role players off of a team like Valencia. I would like to see Roy make more changes to the squad to make it less predictable to manage against.
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Posted by joe on 05/27/2009
What a fantastic season. Hodgson and the squad have made us proud.
I still think Fulham needs better scouting though. There is a lot of talent available that the club can
attract. No need to spend large sums for quality.
I also see the need for a more complete squad, with good backup players in every position.
Ken's suggestions are very good as well.
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Posted by Mark Katic on 05/27/2009
I would like to see depth in the midfield as well, especially someone who can create better scoring opportunities for the guys up front. Too few goals on the road and too many ties away from The Cottage. Fix that and they can maintain what they earned this season or even move up a spot or two.
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Posted by Josh B on 05/28/2009
Clearly we need a keeper..Marky just isnt cutting it...
On a serious note it would be nice to pick up another central midfielder. Etuhu played well, but Murphy is getting a bit older every year, I'm sure it would be nice to have a decent option to rest the captain. Dacourt is only on loan, and Etuhu is too unless I'm wrong? I would also like to see Barnes signed from Derby on this loan, and get him some playing time. I watched (FA cup I think?) Derby v Man Utd this year and he played very well and scored a few goals. Very fast and young winger, good alternative to partner with Dempsey and even Davies/Gera on the outside.
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Posted by Linc SLC,UT on 05/28/2009
Well, like every third comment posted here I am a Yank who became a fan of Fulham because of McBride and the other U.S. players. Now he's back stateside kickin' ass for the Chicago Fire, but Dempsey just might be able to fill his shoes eventually. He's already proven to be a solid player. But the novelty having some fellow countrymen playing for a London side only goes so far. What matters is that yours boys are for real. They've shown some real character over the last couple of seasons, w/ some big wins over some top teams-especially Man U!-and a real class act at the helm. Best of luck in Europe but more importantly in the Premeirship. You don't need me to tell you how tough it will be to maintain the same level of competitivness, but you have the heart, class, and players to give it a helluva go! Go Cottagers!
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Posted by Nick on 05/29/2009
Keep Hangeland.... without Hangeland and Schwarzer we wouldnt be where we are, not even close.
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Posted by Vivek on 05/29/2009
I have supported the team ever since its debut season in EPL and can not express my delight at watching the team make it to the Europa League.
I think the main reasons why the club can not attract talent are the salary cap which is considerably lower than other top 10 clubs and the lack of promise of European football. But with the Europa, that is all set to change I hope. They look like an Everton in the making and need just a good playmaker and a good forward to bring their roster to a European level. As mentioned above, Landon Donovan would be a very nice forward to have in your team while the midfield could do with some good scouting. That said, it is quintessential to preserve the stars within the team by offering whatever would be necessary to make that happen!
I had like to finish this off by just thanking Roy, the team and last but not the least, Al-Fayed for having laid the ground work for a solid and balanced (financially) team unlike the Newcastles and the Southamptons!!!
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Posted by didier on 05/29/2009
Europe bekons and Fulham will need to add some depth while maintaining the spine that Schwartzer, Hangeland and Murphy constitute. The back four are fine and Baird gives us some depth but adding another solid defender wouldn't hurt. The midfield is also solid and they know their roles but adding a playmaker that can pair with Murphy will be essential if the team is to improve and maybe another midfielder that can spell Etuhu and Murhpy when the legs get heavy with all the extra games. I actually like Nevland, Johnson, Zamora and Kamara but one or two have to go to get some forwards that will score a bit more. Johnson might not be worth the price tag he is carrying.
Donovan would be a good addition. He is a good counter-attacker that fits well into a defense first style of play. I bet Hunt at Reading would not be expensive and would be a good sparkplug off the bench. Davies at Hammarby also has good speed but is not proven at the PL level.
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Posted by Nick on 05/30/2009
What Fulham did this season was amazing and so much credit has to got to Roy!
As for next season, I agree with what a lot of others have already stated. It's tough because I really like our starting eleven but unfortunately I don't see this group pushing Fulham farther than we have gone this season. I think we need to add a real play maker in midfield or up top. I like the defense but past the starting back 4 it got real scary. Need some depth there. I like the combination of Dempsey, Gera, and Davies but Etuhu and Murphy could use some help (this is where I think we should add that play maker). As for the forwards, I don't think depth was a real issue, Johnson, Zamora, Nevland, and Kamara all played well I thought but the goals just didn't seem to come. That might be another area we will have to address
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Posted by scouser48 on 06/01/2009
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Posted by MJH510 on 06/10/2009
Does anyone know when the 2009/2010 schedule is released?
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Posted by neal on 06/12/2009
as a New England Revolution fan and Liverpool fan, it seems a bit weird posting here. I started following Fulham because I really enjoyed watching Clint Dempsey help Coach Steve Nichol own the MLS every year.
I rooted for you guys for every game against the top 4 and defended your well earned draw against Liverpool. In my humble opinion there are few sides in EPL football that play such cohesive team defense as does fulham. this makes play a bit tedious to watch at times but ensures that Fulham can hold its own on any given sunday, no matter what the opposition.
to give up the characteristics that made your side successful this year in pursuit of a limited, 1 sided player like landon donovan would hold fulham back. In America Dempsey always had a zeal for running from box to box, but he learned his defense in England. I have seen no such zeal from Donovan in his time at LA or on the National Team.
Defense first; wheater from middlesbrough is ripe for the picking.
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Posted by Car Insurance Guy on 11/10/2009
Ah!!! at last I found what I was looking for. Somtimes it takes so much effort to find even tiny useful piece of information.
Nice post. Thanks
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About
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Phil Mison is a lifelong follower of Fulham FC. As a broadcaster, writer and sports producer he has supplied past club videos and numerous articles on FFC. LBC Radio's Fulham correspondent 1988-1993 and Sky Sports’ reporter for the 1996-97 promotion season. Professionally Phil delivers football content to the highest level both overseas and across the UK via TV, radio and mobile.
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