Name: Fulham
Nickname: The Cottagers
Manager: Chris Coleman
Captain: Luis Boa Morte
Stadium: Craven Cottage
Capacity: 22,000
Star Player: Steed Malbranque
One To Watch: Liam Rosenier
Young Gun: Zat Knight
Top Goalscorer Of All-Time: Gordon Davies ( 178 goals)
Most Appearances: Johnny Haynes ( 657 games)
Profile:
Fulham have enjoyed a remarkable rise to the top tier of English football. As the FA Premier League kicked off in 1992, Fulham were simply hoping to avoid relegation to the Third Division. Three years later, the Craven Cottage club was in danger of falling off the footballing map altogether - but those days seem like a far cry from now. Eygiptian chairman Mohamed Al Fayed dreamt of Fulham winning the FA Premier League and invested heavily in pursuit of his ambition. After easing to the First Division title in 2001, Al Fayed's expensively-assembled team was able to stand toe to toe with England's finest club sides. Fulham kicked-off the new season at Manchester United and showed they belonged in the top division with some sparkling football, despite a 3-2 defeat. Following three seasons of consolidation and improvement in the Premiership, ambitious Fulham remain one of the teams to watch, with Steed Malbranque establishing himself as a top-class midfielder. The club parted company with French coach Jean Tigana in April 2003, with Al Fayed's dream of challenging for the title now in the hands of Chris Coleman, who guided the club to ninth in the table in 2003-04. The club are now coming 14th in the current campaign and Welsh man Chris Coleman will be looking to finish in a much higher position in the table.
