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Club Focus - Fulham - Hodgson the history-maker on the brink of Europa League glory
And so ends a somewhat ordinary league season with a 4-0 defeat to Arsenal. While the Whites have exceeded all expectations in Europe with an extraordinary run to the Europa League final, the Premier League campaign has taken on a far more familiar look. Defeat in North London means the opening-day victory at Fratton Park remains Fulham's sole away league win all season.
For everything Roy Hodgson has achieved at the club, it appears only Jesus himself could overturn the Whites' miserable form on the road - not that anyone involved with the club dare ask for anything more, as for many of them the Messiah is exactly what they have been provided with. It is a remarkable achievement, of course, that the continental run did not come at the expense of the Cottagers' top-flight status, and the league finish is, in itself, a massive success, such are the resources available to Roy Hodgson and his troops. The manager resisted the urge to give his first-team a thorough test before Wednesday's final, deciding instead that rest would be far more useful to his overworked side. Keeping the European heroes fit is of far more importance than a measly Premier League fixture, and form in the build up to European knock-out ties is hardly anything to go by, either. The Whites lost three on the spin between that Juventus tie and the first-leg against Wolfsburg, and the two Hamburg legs were sandwiched between a morale-sapping last-minute defeat at Goodison Park. The league had no effect on either of those occasions, and nor will the players be thinking about their current two-match losing streak when they line up alongside Sergio Aguero, Diego Forlan et al on Wednesday night.
Just as times could not be better for the club, Chairman Mohammed Al-Fayed has sold one of his prized assets, Harrods. Whether this means he will be looking to sell one of his others - Fulham - will likely be a huge topic of speculation over the summer. If rumours are to be believed, he has been open to offers for several years. The Egyptian is undeniably looking to wind down, and leaving behind a legacy of the (potential) inaugural Europa League winners would certainly be the highest of curtain calls. All anyone can go by is the Chairman's own words, which are that he has no intention of selling. Besides, there is the small matter of a European final before attentions may or may not be turned to off-field matters. Fans can take comfort from his recent comments on Hodgson’s moment of recognition: “This award shows that occasionally football makes the right decision, and Roy is it. Now all he has to do is win the Europa League competition and I will pay the excess baggage for him to bring the trophy back.” His generosity has known no bounds since becoming a part of the SW6 furniture, and Hodgson would certainly not turn down an offer to fund some more European gems along the lines of Brede Hangeland this summer.
The former Blackburn Rovers manager may well have missed out on the Premier League award for top boss, but the LMA gong comes as a well-deserved nod to his achievements at the club - achievements that, should the foundations hold firm, could well keep coming. The speculation surrounding Hodgson, Liverpool and England will go on but this writer questions the sense in the Merseyside rumours at least - he is not the kind of man who courts publicity or likes to have his every move questioned. English clubs failed to give him his big opportunity in his younger years and he instead had to ply his trade in Europe - it seems now, with a humble club that gave the modest man his chance, a deserved European trophy is just 90 minutes away from his grasp. He has certainly found success with his continental outlook and, ironically, what he was forced to learn away from these shores he has brought back with him to the detriment of his opposite numbers - what many clubs would give to have a Hodgson of their own.
It probably will never get bigger for Fulham fans than tomorrow night, and if there was ever a manager to lead an English side to European success then it is Hodgson, who has seen everything our continental neighbours have to offer - and has beaten it all tactically.
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