Season review: Fulham – Year of transition memorable in the end
A season of transition for Fulham ended with a remarkable second-half fight-back with the ultimate reward of European qualification, albeit via the back door, as the Whites comfortably cleared the relegation dogfight and edged out Blackpool in the UEFA Fair Play table.
The decision from Mohamed Al-Fayed to replace defensively-minded manager Roy Hodgson with the attacking, more direct tactician Mark Hughes was a statement of intent, and one which had paid off come the end of the season. The search for a new manager seemed endless, and it wasn’t until just a few weeks before the season kicked off that Hughes was appointed after an ultimately fruitless flirtation with Dutchman Martin Jol.
With the players forced to adapt to a new philosophy in no time at all there is little surprise Hughes’ first few months in charge were difficult, with the team drawing six of their first seven league games. Hughes’ start was summed up by the early Bobby Zamora leg break which left the Welshman without his main forward for much of the season. Even early on, however, there was a notable improvement in away performances, with the fans being treated to a team that was now looking to take games to the home team and a manager who made attacking substitutions rather than resting on his laurels.
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While the performances were up and down, the points were not consistently arriving. Boxing Day was to become the ultimate low-point of Fulham’s season, after a humiliating 3-1 home defeat to previously bottom West Ham left Hughes’ men rooted in the bottom three after a run of seven games without a win. Certain players more than others could not get to grips with the new style of play – John Pantsil struggled with the higher defensive line and would end up equalling the Premier League own-goals in a season record with three.
The New Year, however, brought with it new fortunes, and just as the Whites were stronger in the second half of most games all season, so too were they in the second half of the league season. After the low point of the Christmas period, things suddenly clicked into place, and with 13 points gained in the next seven games the Whites were comfortably mid-table by the start of February. Roy Hodgson’s solid-at-the-back philosophy remained, while the attacking contingent took to the manager’s preferred use of the wings – Simon Davies in particular impressing as the season reached a climax.
There were several games from January to May in which it was clear the players were now Mark Hughes’ team – the thumping win over West Brom showing the Whites could now be a force at set-pieces, and the game that saw Fulham’s best football all season, the 3-0 home victory against Bolton.
The FA Cup was initially a respite from the league, but a Wembley appearance became a real possibility after a 4-0 hammering of Tottenham Hotspur. Contrary to the league, however, the Whites faded against Bolton and were knocked out one step short.
The fair play Hodgson instilled remained evident until the last few games of the season, which culminated in what will be Fulham’s second Europa League adventure in three seasons, a just reward for the dogged New Year determination.
Manager – Mark Hughes: Arrived late in summer after the public courting of Martin Jol with little time to make an early impact. He changed a lot, from the backroom staff to the playing style, and it took time to have an impact. But after Boxing Day his players have not looked back. The signings of Moussa Dembele and Steve Sidwell have proven shrewd.
Player of the season - Clint Dempsey: Stepped up in the absence of Bobby Zamora and his brilliance kept Fulham above water. In an unfavoured target striker role for the most part, his 12 goals and 3 assists - a direct involvement in 25% of Fulham’s league goals - shows his influence cannot be understated.
Turning Point - Response to the Boxing Day defeat: The 2-0 victory at Stoke two days after the West Ham loss gave Fulham their first away win, lifted them out of the bottom three and gave them a platform on which to climb. And climb they did, with 30 points from the second half of the season, compared with just 19 before January.
Average starting XI:
Schwarzer
Baird - Hughes - Hangeland - Salcido
Duff - Etuhu - Murphy - Davies
Dempsey - Dembele
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