Season Preview - Fulham

Manager – Martin Jol

Stadium – Craven Cottage 25,350

2010/2011 – 8th

After three highly successful seasons in charge of Fulham, Roy Hodgson left The Cottage to deservedly take on the high profile manager’s job at Liverpool. It was left to the former Manchester City and Blackburn boss Mark Hughes to fill in the big boots left by Roy who reached a Europa League final the previous season, on July 29th. Hughes had inherited a hard-working and well assembled squad that had shown was capable of performing to higher than expected standards. The signings of Moussa Dembélé, Carlos Salcido and Philippe Senderos provided more depth to the squad and assured Hughes he had what he needed to continue the successful reign of Hodgson. Fulham proved a difficult team to break down throughout the season; they drew 16 games, which can be said is expected when it comes to Mark Hughes- the Welshman drew seven games in a row the previous season at Manchester city and was sacked shortly after. Despite this large number of equal encounters Fulham managed to finish 8^th in the league which was the second highest finished position in the club’s history. The Cottagers failed to record any stand out victories over stronger opposition, partly because of the long term absence of talismanic striker Bobby Zamora who suffered a broken leg in September. He returned to the squad in late February and scored an 89^th minute winner at home to Blackburn on March 5^th. Had Fulham been with Zamora for the full season they may well have been challenging Everton and Liverpool for a 6^th or 7^th place finish. Things were looking up for Hughes’ side, having qualified for the Europa League pre-season qualifiers via the fair play rules the south-west London side were on the rise. However, Hughes resigned as manager after less than a year in charge. "As a young, ambitious manager I wish to move on to further my experiences," he said. This paved the way for former Spurs boss Martin Jol to take the vacant managerial post on June 7^th 2011 and lead Fulham into a new Dutch-led era.

Highlights of 2010/2011 – Second highest finish in club’s history with yet another solid squad. Solidity matched with carefulness- qualifying for the Europa League via fair play rules.

Lowlights of 2010/2011 – Too many draws. Missing Bobby Zamora for the majority of the season through injury. Hughes’ resignation upsetting the balance of the club, no matter how temporary.

What to expect in 2011/2012

With the arrival of Martin Jol taking the helm at Fulham it’s good to see his smiling face back in the Premier League, something the welcoming fans can warm to after Mark Hughes’ surprising resignation. Having already started their season back in June with Europa League qualifying, Fulham can expect a long and tiring season, but with 2 leg victories over NSI Runavik and Crusaders, they are a fraction of the way into completing it. If they are to repeat Roy Hodgson’s feat with the club in Europe in the 2009-10 season they could potentially play 23 matches in the competition on top of 38 Premier League games. Though it may seem daunting, Jol has the charisma and can provide the encouragement needed for his squad to progress in both competitions. Having signed the experienced John Arne Riise from Roma and youngsters Pajtim Kasami and Marcel Gecov from clubs Palermo and Slovan Liberc respectively, Jol has strengthened his already in depth squad in preparation for the upcoming season and the possibility of challenging for multiple honours.

Signings –

Pajtim Kasami, Palermo - Undisclosed

John Arne Riise, Roma - £2.2million

Marcel Gecov, Slovan Liberc - £700k

Csama Somogyi – Free Agent

Other potential signings –

Mariano Pavone – Free Agent

Craig Bellamy, Manchester City - £5million

DJ Campbell, Blackpool - £1.25million

Mohamadou Diarra – Free Agent

Robbie Keane, Tottenham Hotspur - £4million

Pablo Osvaldo, Espanyol - £17million

Departures –

Jonathan Greening, Nottingham Forest- £600k

David Stockdale, Ipswich Town – Loan

John Paintsil, Leicester City – Free

Danny Hoesen, Fortuna Sittard – Loan

Other potential departures –

Andy Johnson, W.B.A/Q.P.R/West Ham United - £3million

Philippe Senderos, Roma – Undisclosed

Zoltan Gera, Newcastle/Stoke/Birmingham – Free

Clint Dempsey, PSG – Undisclosed

Possible starting XI

4-5-1

Schwarzer

Baird, Hughes, Hangeland, Riise

Davies, Etuhu/Sidwell, Kasami, Murphy, Dempsey

Zamora

If Keane Is signed and Johnson Is sold.

4-3-3

Schwarzer

Baird, Hughes, Hangeland, Riise

Kasami, Murphy, Dempsey

Keane, Zamora, Dembélé

If Diarra and Bellamy Sign

4-2-3-1

Schwarzer

Baird, Hughes, Hangeland, Riise/Briggs

Murphy, Diarra

Dembélé, Dempsey, Bellamy

Zamora

Prediction

9th

Similar to the article on Bolton, I feel Fulham have a good enough squad and a more than capable manager to obtain a mid-table finish in the league and a good chance of finishing higher next season. Teams like Everton, Aston Villa and Sunderland will be fighting with Fulham throughout the season for the 7^th-10^th places and the possibility of European football the following season. I admire Jol’s style of management, and after a successful spell in charge of Spurs, taking them to the clutches of Champions League qualification back in 2006, Fulham fans have much to look forward to in their new leader.