Fulham 2009/10 preview

11 August 2009 15:00
Roy Hodgson's arrival at Craven Cottage in late 2007 was met with plenty of scepticism from those who remembered his disappointing second season with Blackburn, but he is now rightly regarded as one of the most astute British managers in the game. It took a dramatic final-day victory over Portsmouth to escape relegation during his first season in charge but, having been able to make his own mark on the team with new signings and a new style of play, he guided Fulham to their highest ever league position. That seventh place finish saw them edge out Tottenham, West Ham and Manchester City for a place in the Europa League and, considering expectations had been for a season-long battle against the drop, it was a truly remarkable achievement. Hodgson, though, has been in football management long enough to know the pitfalls of punching above your weight and said on many occasions that European football may do more harm than good. Most Fulham fans recognise that a repeat of last season is unlikely, at least - a relatively quiet fixture list and good fortune with injuries enabled Hodgson to stick with a select group of players throughout the campaign. This year, they will face considerably more matches if they reach the Europa League group stages and, what's more, the likes of Manchester City, Tottenham and Sunderland look set to begin the season with significantly improved squads. As a result, Fulham's prospects of finishing there or thereabouts again are likely to depend on Hodgson's ability to make the right reinforcements. Last year, he was reportedly given somewhere in the region of £16m to £20m to sign Andrew Johnson and Bobby Zamora. Neither was an obvious success given the size of their fees - Johnson finished the season with 10 goals in all competitions, Zamora with just four - but they dovetailed well and should improve their tallies if given another season as a partnership. A couple of his cheaper deals represented the best value. Veteran goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer proved an excellent signing, while John Pantsil - who arrived as part of the Zamora deal - finally found his feet in England and firmly established himself at right-back. The former Inter Milan boss has been linked with moves for some big names this summer - Peter Crouch and Ruud van Nistelrooy among them - but, having made a £4m bid for 30-year-old Jonathan Greening, it appears he is still willing to pay over the odds for solid but unspectacular Premier League players. It is hard to question that policy, though. The reliance on experienced Premier League and international players has meant a complete absence of youth at Craven Cottage - 26-year-old Clint Dempsey was officially the club's young player of the season last year - but last season showed how valuable that approach can be. Should they manage to bring in enough quality players to reinforce the squad, there will be every reason to hope for a comfortable season in the league and a decent run in Europe and the Carling Cup. But Hodgson has already admitted that this is a difficult summer in the market and, as things stand, a few injuries to first-team players added to a congested fixture list could make life at Craven Cottage uncomfortable again. Matt Bright says: "I believe the team Roy has built is capable of a lot and can only improve. However this is going to be a very long season, so it could go either way. I believe though, we can have a good season, have a good little run in the Europa League and hopefully a nice trip to Wembley in one of the cups this season, as we missed out by one game last season. "Clint Dempsey has finally started to get people talking about him and he will prove why that is this season, while I expect Erik Nevland to be given a lot more games this season and when he does, he will make them count and I wouldn't be surprised if he finished as top scorer. "In the league I think a top-half finish would be another successful season, especially with juggling all the domestic cups and European games. As long as we don't concentrate on Europe and then start slipping in the league and get involved in a relegation battle I'll be happy. "I think we'll finish seventh again. We've established ourselves as a team not to be underestimated and I think yet again we will surprise people throughout the season. Also if we could beat Chelsea this season, then that'd be awesome!" Sky Bet's Dale Tempest says: "A brilliant last season for Roy Hodgson's men but so often the extra games and travelling of the Europa League can be a major negative for teams with limited resources. Despite last year's success Fulham keeper Mark Schwarzer produced more saves - 221 - than any other Premier League keeper. No doubt he'll be tested significantly again this season and it's unlikely the Cottagers will be able to restrict opposing forwards to less than 34 goals. However, the early preparation for the Europa Cup can often lead to a positive start and with Portsmouth in disarray I'll be backing Fulham for an opening day victory at Fratton Park at 15/8."

Source: SKY_Sports