In 1997 Mohamed al-Fayed, the Harrods owner, made a typically bold prediction.
" Fulham will be in the Premiership within five years,"
With just over half the season completed, Fulham are seven points clear of
nearest rivals Bolton with two games in hand, and common consensus has the Cottagers
all but assured of Premiership status next season to make Mr al-Fayed's bold
prediction come true ahead of schedule. The man could clearly teach Stalin a
thing or two about Five Year Plans.
Even more impressive has been the way that Fulham's progress has been achieved,
coach Jean Tigana producing football with an added sense of style, skill and
flair and adherence to the purist "footballing" principles that mark
out the club as a distinct cut above the rest of the division, and a side that
would not look out of place in the top flight already.
Tigana has made good use of the owner's deep pockets to assemble a side with
a bewildering display of attacking options, skilfully blending the young and
old, French and British to make a formidable outfit.
The experience comes from the likes of goalkeeper Maik Taylor, defenders Chris
Coleman - ruled out for the rest of the season after suffering a broken leg
in a car crash - and Andy Melville and midfielders Lee Clark and John Collins,
the latter's command of French from his time at Monaco also vital in helping
Tigana get his message across.
And the youth and pace comes from the likes of Louis Saha, top scorer in the
division, striker Barry Hayles who has also found the net with regularity and
winger Fabrice Fernandes on loan from Rennes.
All in all, with the promise of more money to spend should the unthinkable
happen and the Cottagers suffer a late-season slump, it adds up to a Premiership
side in waiting
There appears little danger of any personnel changes any time soon with Tigana
quickly settling in at Craven Cottage and coming to grips with the demands of
the English game with aplomb, helped greatly by having seven games at the end
of last season to observe at close quarters what needed doing as Alan Smith,
Roy Evans and Karlheinz Riedle managed team affairs.
The only potential blots on the landscape are the question of whether al-Fayed
and his money will be around for ever or will he tire of his love affair with
the club, and the issue surrounding the redevelopment of Craven Cottage and
the chances of being forced to move to a new ground with a much bigger capacity.
But for now all is coming up roses for Fulham and this weekend they get the
ultimate chance to test the belief that they are already a Premiership team.
Manchester United are of course the visitors to Craven Cottage in the FA Cup
third round and it is a measure of how far Fulham have come in such a short
space of time that it would not be a massive upset if they got at least a draw
against the champions.
Not bad for a side that, as recently as February 1996, plunged to second bottom
of the Third Division before Ian Branfoot was shunted upstairs and Micky Adams
took control of the team for the visit of Exeter. That game was won 2-1, Fulham
moved up a place and so began an ascent which seems certain to realise Premiership
football for next term.
Source sportinglife