Well they all do over the course of 38 matches I guess, but a win on Saturday at QPR would have a stellar effect on Jol's popularity and go a long way to wiping out more than a few awful away days to date.

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So will we be in for another dose of away day blues where only the travelling faithful turn up and play to their billing? We've got a little blasé dare I suggest over time locking horns with that team from Stamford Bridge. But Rangers elevation has given us another West London derby with a new dimension, and, might I suggest, added resonance. We have perhaps more in common with our Loftus Road cousins than we like to admit. Both clubs have known more hard times than good since growing out of very similar working class environments. Any list of trophies won would fit comfortably on a beer mat, while both have faced a financial meltdown in modern times that threatened extinction.

QPR had local businessman Jim Gregory to thank for really lighting a fire down in W12 in the late '60's (having been rebuffed by Fulham, his first love, as I have previously blogged). A League Cup win at Wembley heralded a jump from third to first, where the team came within a whisker of winning the title in 1975. Terry Venables and then Gerry Francis ran the midfield in teams that entertained and were packed with internationals and flair. We'll draw a veil under Fulham's decline over the same period. Suffice to say it was a very painful period for Whites supporters, and it endured for the best part of thirty years. That's a lot of hurt for many of us now down at the old Cottage and enjoying our place at the top table.

Such is the nature of Schadenfreude of course our elevation under al Fayed coincided with the Hoops hitting the skids, and how we secretly relished their fall from grace. Last October then saw us re-connect with our near neighbours once again, and on a balmy afternoon in the sun Fulham belied their slow start to the season by hitting Rangers for six! We could not have asked for anything more. AJ notched three, Danny tucked away a penalty with his usual aplomb, there were stand out goals from Clint and Bobby after quick incisive breaks. Rangers were run ragged.

How much has changed for the return we'll see this Saturday. For a start, our England centre-forward now runs out in blue and white hoops rather than Fulham kit. I'm still to come to terms with that piece of transfer business, only time will tell which manager got the better side of the bargain. And talking of which, as Rangers season soured after a bright start, Warnock was ruthlessly shoved out the door in January. Cue the arrival of Mr. Hughes, who despite being the busiest guy in the transfer window, still sees his side perilously close to the bottom.

We'll leave it there for now, as I want to deliberately leave room for your thoughts ahead of the game. But I shall be back before the big showdown. League positions seem to suggest we're all but clear of danger, while Rangers have a nine point deficit on us and are part of what looks like a five team 'mini league' fighting the drop. Let's see who has the bigger cojones come Saturday. By the way, thanks for all who are getting behind 'the Clint project' with helpful advice. We'll get there!

COYW! Twitter@fulhamphil