Welcome to the Soccer Tavern, where we’re discussing the history, culture, and philosophy of the beautiful game. My name is Dave and in this video, we’re talking about the history of Fulham Football Club. Pull up a seat and let’s start the discussion.
Fulham FC is located in the western, slightly southern part of the city of London. London is located in the southern-central part of England in the United Kingdom. The club currently play in the Premier League and its home ground is called Craven Cottage. Craven Cottage opened in 1896 and currently holds about 26,000 people, although it has plans to expand to about 30,000.
Origin
Fulham FC is one of London’s oldest clubs after being founded in 1879. At that time, a teacher and churchwarden organized a team for local boys at the Fulham St. Andrew’s Church.
The team played for about 10 years under the Fulham St. Andrew’s name before becoming Fulham Football Club in January of 1889. Fulham FC is still its official name about 130 years later.
The club had a nomadic existence in its early years before finally settling on a piece of land in 1894 along the river Thames (Tems) for its home ground. It took 2 years to clear out the land to make it suitable for playing and Fulham FC played its first match on the grounds of Craven Cottage in 1896. The club has been there ever since.
Nicknames
Fulham FC’s main nickname is the Cottagers. This comes from the famous Craven Cottage that is located on the stadium’s ground. The original Craven Cottage was built in 1780 and had numerous famous people live there until it burned down in 1888. A version of the Cottage was rebuilt in 1903 and that is the current structure located in one of the stadium’s corners today. The stadium’s name was taken from that Cottage and that’s also where the team’s nickname comes from.
Fulham’s other nickname is the Whites. The Whites name comes from the team’s main kit color, which has always been white shirts and black shorts dating back to the club’s formation in 1879.
Crest
The current crest has been used since 2001 and was created to allow the club full image rights since its previous crest was not owned by the club.
The crest appears simple at first glance, but it actually contains symbols from throughout Fulham’s history.
The shield shape of the crest is a reference to the club’s official crest used immediately before the current crest. This was the Fulham Metropolitan Borough Council’s coat of arms and you can see the shield featuring prominently in that crest.
Also in this crest you will notice the swords on a red background. These images come from the arms of the See of London. The See of London is also known as the Bishop of London. The Bishop was the feudal ruler of the Fulham area from the end of the 7th century to 1836. So there is a strong connection between the coat of arms for the Bishop and the borough of Fulham. The reason I point this out is the red color. That is likely where the red accent color comes from in Fulham’s current crest.
The other colors of black and white in the crest come from the club’s main kit colors.
And finally, the connected FFC letters stand for Fulham Football Club. The club experimented with a similar design from 1973 to 1977. This was the inspiration behind the current crest including these symbols and then just updating them for a modern look.
All of these historical elements make up the simple looking crest we see today.
Important Events
The first event I’d like to highlight here came on May 7, 1949. On this date, the Cottagers beat West Ham United 2-0 to secure the Second Division title. Fulham finished the season on 57 points and qualified for the first division for the first time in the club’s history.
The next event I want to mention happened on May 3, 1975. On this date, Fulham took on West Ham United in the FA Cup Final. It was the first time Fulham had reached a major final. Unfortunately, West Ham returned the favor from our first event I highlighted with a 2-0 scoreline. Though Fulham lost the final, the club played 11 matches including 6 replays to reach the final. No team in history has played more matches to reach the FA Cup Final. Although the loss was heartbreaking, Fulham takes pride in its tough route to the final.
The next major event for the club came in 1987. The club was in a terrible financial position and was considering merging with local rival club Queens Park Rangers. Former player Jimmy Hill stepped up and became Chairman of the club. Hill was able to save the club from bankruptcy, avoid the merger, and allow Fulham to keep Craven Cottage. His time as chairman of the club led to it becoming stabilized. With Fulham on stable ground, Mohamed Al Fayed purchased the club in 1997 and set it on arguably its most successful period in the top flight in the club’s history. Under Al Fayed’s ownership, the club made the top flight for the first time in 50 years and became a perennial top half of the table side. None of that would have been possible without Jimmy Hill’s intervention to save the club in 1987.
And the last event I want to discuss happened on April 29, 2010. Fulham played Hamburg SV at Craven Cottage in the second leg of the Europa League semifinal. The first leg finished 0-0. Hamburg took a first half lead in the match but Fulham was able to level through Simon Davies before Zoltan Gera scored in the 76th minute for the Cottagers. The match finished 2-1 with Fulham qualifying for their first ever European Final. Along the way, Fulham beat Juventus in dramatic fashion with a ridiculous comeback in the round of 16. They then dispatched the German champions Wolfsburg, before advancing past Hamburg. Unfortunately, the final was lost to Atletico Madrid 2-1 after an extra time goal in the 116th minute from Diego Forlan. The Whites didn’t win a trophy but their Europa League run that season was remarkable.
Supporters
The Cottagers weren’t impacted much by hooligan firms that were heavily involved in other clubs in the 1970s and 1980s. Fulham has more or less always been known as a family club. The club is constantly in the running for the Football League Family Excellence Award and was most recently honored as a Gold Award winner for the 2017-2018 season. That meant the club was recognized for its exemplary work in engaging families on matchdays.
Noteworthy Players
The greatest player in Fulham’s history was Johnny Haynes. Haynes was one of the greatest players of his generation and was nicknamed ‘The Maestro’. He was well known for his tactical understanding of the game, as well as for his control and passing ability. Pele described Haynes as ‘the best passer of the ball I’ve ever seen’ and Haynes was the first professional player to earn £100 a week. Haynes spent the entirety of his peak playing years at Fulham from 1952 to 1970 even though he could have gone to more prestigious clubs at the time. He’s an absolute legend at Fulham and there is a statue outside of Craven Cottage honoring him.
The next player I’d like to mention is Sir Bobby Robson. Sir Bobby began his professional career at Fulham in 1950 when he was 17 years old. He would have a great 6 year run at Fulham before being sold to West Brom in 1956. He would return to Fulham in 1962 and play another 5 seasons before retiring in 1967. Robson earned 20 England caps in his playing career and he would go on to have a very successful managerial career managing top clubs all over Europe.
Bobby Moore and George Best each played for Fulham towards the end of their playing careers. They are each most well-known for time spent elsewhere but deserve mention here as Moore was the captain of England’s World Cup winning 1966 team. He’s considered one of the greatest defenders ever. And George Best, is still regarded as one of the most talented attacking players ever. Best was a cultural icon during his playing days and was one of the first superstars in the world of soccer.
I also want to highlight Jimmy Hill here. Hill didn’t have the most exemplary playing career but he was involved in many events that helped shape the future of soccer in England and Fulham FC. Hill was president of the Professional Footballers’ Association and successfully fought to have the maximum wage cap abolished. After his playing career, he moved into broadcasting and helped change the way soccer was presented on television. Hill also successfully convinced the FA to introduce the three-points-for-a-win system in 1981 and campaigned for clubs to be able to wear sponsor logos on their shirts. This is all in addition to saving Fulham FC in 1987, which we talked about in our last section. Although Hill wasn’t the greatest player, his influence on the game is likely the greatest of any Fulham player in the club’s history.
Lastly, being American, I want to highlight Carlos Bocanegra, Brian McBride, and Clint Dempsey in this section.
Bocanegra was a long-time captain for the US Men’s National team. He was a fantastic leader and serviceable defender. Boca played at Fulham 2003 to 2008.
McBride was a hard-nosed attacker who was stellar in the air. He played at Fulham from 2004 to 2008 and was twice named player of the year for the Cottagers. There is a pub at Craven Cottage named McBride’s in honor of him.
And Dempsey was a skilled attacker who played at Fulham from 2007 to 2012. He scored one of the most memorable goals in Fulham history against Juventus in the Europa League with an incredible chip and Dempsey is tied as the all-time leading scorer in US National team history.
Noteworthy Managers
For a club that’s been around almost 140 years, it’s slightly surprising that there aren’t many legendary managers in the club’s history. Most managers I will highlight here are more famous for their time spent elsewhere but they are definitely noteworthy.
Jimmy Hogan only had a short run as Fulham manager. He managed 31 matches from 1934-1935. His time at Fulham was unremarkable, but Hogan is seen as one of the tactical pioneers in the world of soccer. He is largely credited with inventing total football, which was eventually made famous by the Dutch in the 1970s. He revolutionized soccer in continental Europe and is world renowned for his influence on the game.
Vic Buckingham has a similar story to Jimmy Hogan. Buckingham spent 3 years at Fulham with his final season in 1968 ending in relegation. It was pretty unexceptional, but before joining Fulham, he made quite an impression on Ajax in the Netherlands. While managing there, Buckingham discovered a 12-year old Johan Cruyff and brought Cruyff into the academy. He also implemented a short, passing game with lots of off-ball movement that would become the Ajax and Dutch way of playing. In his second stint with Ajax, he would give Cruyff his debut for the club. Buckingham returned to England from Ajax and after managing at Fulham, he would head to FC Barcelona. There, he would implement a similar style to Ajax that has seen Barcelona become world famous. Buckingham didn’t have the greatest time at Fulham but had an enormous influence on the world of soccer.
And the last manager I’d like to highlight here is Kevin Keegan. Keegan was a fantastic player during his career and nearly won the Premier League as manager with Newcastle. So, when he took over as manager at the end of the 1997-1998 season, there was a lot of excitement from Fulham fans. Keegan led Fulham in the Second Division for the 1998-1999 season as the team set all kinds of offensive and defensive records that season. Unfortunately for Fulham fans, the success led to Keegan being poached by the English FA to manage the English National team. His tenure at Craven Cottage ended on sour terms less than a year after being appointed. Still, Keegan was instrumental in getting the Whites back to the first division for the first time in 50 years.
Rivals
Fulham’s 2 main rivals are Chelsea and Queens Park Rangers.
Matches with Chelsea and Queens Park Rangers are called West London Derbies because all 3 play in West London.
Fulham fans consider Chelsea to be their main rival. The two clubs are both located in the Fulham neighborhood of London and their stadiums are less than 2 miles apart. Since Chelsea’s rise over the last few decades to become one of the best clubs in England, this rivalry has faded a bit. Chelsea supporters don’t even consider Fulham to be a rival, which infuriates Fulham supporters even more. Though the rivalry isn’t quite intense from both sides, the two clubs have a long history with Chelsea FC being formed after Fulham declined to move into Stamford Bridge back in 1904. With Fulham back in the Premier League, supporters will be excited to continue this Derby.
Fulham’s other main rival is Queens Park Rangers. QPR is located about 3 miles to the north of Fulham. In the modern age of soccer, Fulham and QPR are closer to each other in terms of financial and on-field competitiveness. Both have bounced between the Championship and Premier League in recent years and have met each other many times across the divisions in England. There actually was an attempted merger of the 2 clubs back in 1987 with both sets of fans protesting against the merger and Fulham was forced to use QPR’s home stadium of Loftus Road in 2002 while Craven Cottage was renovated. All of these events have helped grow this into a great rivalry.
I also wanted to briefly mention Brentford and Gillingham as Fulham rivals.
Brentford is also located in West London with its home ground being about 5 miles west of Craven Cottage. Fulham fans generally look down on Brentford fans as they’ve been less relevant but with both clubs playing in the Championship the past few seasons, this geographical rival deserves mention.
And lastly, I wanted to mention Gillingham here. In 1998, a Gillingham supporter killed a Fulham supporter outside of Gillingham’s home stadium after a match between the two clubs. The tragic incident led to hostilities between the fan bases for a number of years but Fulham has risen up the divisions in England while Gillingham has remained lower in the pyramid. That has seen this rivalry dissipate for the most part.
Stats & Records
The stats and records we’re about to discuss are as of July 2018, which is when we are recording this video.
Fulham have played 26 seasons in the top flight in their history.
The Whites have no major titles but do have
- 3 Second flight championships
- A UEFA Intertoto Cup from 2002
The club’s record first team appearance holder is Johnny Haynes with 658 appearances.
The Cottager’s record goal scorer is Gordon Davies with 178 goals.
Fulham’s record transfer purchase was Jean Michael Seri from Nice in France on July 12, 2018 for about £25M.
And the club’s record transfer sale was Mousa Dembélé to Tottenham Hotspur on August 29, 2012 for about £15M.
One last interesting fact about the Whites: Fulham were the first team in Premier League history to play a player with South Asian origin. This happened in April 2004 when Zesh Rehman who had Pakistani heritage made his debut for the club.
So there you have it… a bit of history on Fulham Football Club. Let’s continue the discussion in the comments section below this video.
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