Hi all, Spurs fan in peace. Thought I'd pass on this piece written by a friend of mine: "Dear Mo, This is a post to say thank you for every single one of the 16 years you have continued to bankroll Fulham Football Club. You came in when we were still a struggling side, that without Mickey Adam's management and our promotion to the Old Second Division, you may not have been interested in us. Unfortunately your son's tragic death overshadowed everything the papers said about you, and as Chairman of my club they have all been proved wrong. You said you would get us to the Premier League in 5 years, it happened in 4, you changed our crest, you installed big name managers, and broke a transfer record in your first season (who knows how much today's version of Paul Peschisolido would cost), you didn't upset the boat and we had a great core of players that brought us through to Division One. You invested heavily in Tigana and I remember my first match like it was yesterday, Nottingham Forest vs Fulham, 16th September 2000, a birthday present, we missed the whole of the first half and then we turned on the style in the second half. Much like the rest of the season, we played dazzling football and dominated the league. Louis Saha was top class and Barry Hayles was such a beast. I then bought my first Fulham shirt, it was a classic red and black striped number with 'Pizza Hut' emblazoned on the front. I went to our first Premier League match against the champions Manchester United, we took the lead inside 2 minutes and we went wild! If any United player I wouldn't mind scoring then went and did it, he hit the crossbar too off a pretty unstoppable free kick. Although we lost that match 3-2 we showed we were taking the big time seriously and I found a new goalkeeping hero in EVDS, I still have his autograph on a rubbish cap I took to the Leicester game, (which was also terrible and I realised that signing Steve Marlet might have been a huge mistake). That season we finished 13th, unexpectedly, and for the following season we then had to move to Loftus Road because our stadium was (and still is) made almost completely of wood, and still had standing sections in the Putney and Hammersmith ends. This was banned 13 years before but no-one expected 'little old Fulham' to do anything as momentous as we did. In '02-'03 the only thing I wanted to do was go and watch European football, I remember the matches the year before when Ipswich went on their crazy run until being knocked out by Inter, Mum was working nights and I watched them get pummeled in the San Siro. I watched us win our only trophy, on a late late night in summer, Inamoto scored a hattrick against Bologna and we paraded a trophy that looked like a bargain bin buy by UEFA around the ground. I was also there for the Zagreb game where we scored 2 in the last 2 minutes, I guess European comebacks are in our blood. I bought the shirt and got 'Malbranque' across the top, I remember we had the Betfair 'mascot' as a man dressed as a blue arrow pointing upwards, awful. I don't think I saw us win once in the league that year, or the next year, in 03'-'04. It was the first season I got my own name personalised across the back of a red 'dabs' shirt. I remember a preseason friendly against Roma, Shearer thumping two headed goals past us at home, and Villa away, who took us apart (my mates really loved rubbing that in). But the season was full of highs, especially beating United 3-1 away and we finished 9th. I didn't see another match until the very end of the '04-'05 season, when my new favourite player, Brian McBride, helped us absolutely thump Norwich 6-0, they could have saved themselves but we took them apart and it was such a glorious sunny day, a fitting end to another good season, we did well in the FA cup too. The next big event to happen was the SW6 derby in 2006, 19th March, I still have my ticket. Stevenage Road stand (as it was known back then) Block JL, Row F, Seat 34. We had been hammered for years by the big spending neighbours, but we were really up for this, in the 17th minute Luis Boa Morte got a really lucky deflection from almost the edge of the penalty box when he just stuck his foot in the way of a clearance. The rest of the match was a blur, I know we missed some gilt-edged chances and Drogba had a goal ruled out, but we were hanging on. When the final whistle went we all went nuts, everyone charged onto the pitch like absolute nutters, I remember rushing down to the hoardings but the police had arrived so I couldn't join the fracas on the pitch. It seemed like for the '06-'07 season you had kind of given up a little, the players we signed mostly fell way short of Premier League standards, although we at least had a playmaker in Jimmy Bullard now. Although Vicenzo Montella was supposed to light up the league, all he did was get sent off all of the time. This was and is the only season supporting Fulham I did not buy a shirt, it was made by 'Airness' who sound more like a mattress manufacturer, in tight, itchy fabric and it looked boring as. The season was just as uninspiring, I went to one game, Liverpool at home and we were dire, I hated Laurie Sanchez too. I thought he was a boring manager with no idea how to play football, we only won that match because Liverpool had the Champions League final next. Although it was Clint's first ever goal for us and what a player he would become. For the '07-'08 campaign you made a terrible terrible error in giving Sanchez loads of money to buy players, all he seemed to do was buy half the Northen Ireland squad. They were lightweight players and all I wished you'd done was sack him sooner. Hodgson was a breath of fresh air, but he didn't click immediately and we were still in perilous danger. Then came that day in Manchester, we were 2-0 down inside an hour and we looked finished, relegated after all these years of flirtation. Somehow Dio popped up and latched onto a lose ball that wasn't cleared, turned inside, turned outside and finished it inbetween Joe Hart's legs. From there we looked a different side, a side that was staying up, Murphy and Bullard started to pull the strings and after Murphy equalised off a saved penalty, it was on. When Kamara went clear off a through ball and gunned it into the roof of the net I ran around the house and headbutted the lampshade hanging from the hallway ceiling, glass went everywhere. We beat Birmingham at home and then Murphy scored THAT goal against Portsmouth. We were staying up. You richly rewarded Hodgson after he had cleared out all the deadwood and some of the players that had been bought over the past year were starting to come good, Dempsey and Hangeland especially. I lived in Australia for the whole of the '08-'09 season so didn't see a single game, but I made a special trip with a mate to see us in action against Melbourne Victory, it could have been a great match, but we had no idea! All the goals went in at the other end, we had a great time though on the beers, sitting in front of the 'hardcore' Victory fans signing "We won it one time, we won it one time, the Intertoto, we won it one time". The '09-'10 season was my first season as a season ticket holder, coming down to London to study made coming to games a whole lot easier, and it was incredible. Hammersmith end, Block H4, Row JJ, Seat 72, and that has been where I've been ever since. That year I saw every home game, the drubbing of United 3-0, beating Liverpool, but most importantly the Europa League. I travelled across Europe to see Fulham play. I remember going out on a Wednesday night, getting obliterated, then coming home to find my friends had all put alarm clocks outside my door to wake me up. That tactic failed miserably and I had to book new tickets and I went to Rome, to an almost empty Stadio Olympico to watch flares be lit up and to be kettled by police for an hour after the game because their Ultras wanted a bit of action. I stayed in a very nice hotel though and midnight walks to the Trevi fountain are all the rage when in Rome. I went to Basel in Switzerland and it was bloody freezing, Bobby Zamora showed he was an international striker with some great touches, but they came back, and I had seen us become a side that bottles it so I thought we'd snatch a draw from the jaws of victory, but no, more Europe awaited. It came to Shakhtar Donetsk and they were the best team I've ever seen, they zipped it around all over the place, Willan dismantled us and how we got away with a 2-1 win was daylight robbery. Zamora smashed one in off the bar and Gera slid one in from close range. The away game in Ukraine was even more tense, the home crowd was huge and so loud, we were cooped up in the corner as usual and were quiet as mice because we were so nervous. Hangeland scored a really big header and then they equalised and all I remember was covering my eyes every time they danced towards the goal, they cut us to ribbons but just couldn't score.
When it came to going out to Turin to watch Juventus away it was diabolical, I stayed in an airport hotel and watched us get thumped, again in the freezing cold and the only positive was Etuhu's deflected shot just before half time. On the return I had bought tickets for all my mates from halls to watch us get knocked out, just to see one last game in Europe before the dream died. We were late, as per usual for most Thursday night games, and we heard outside moans and groans. We knew it must have been all over. We got in the ground to see at the other end Bobby Zamora shrug off a defender, chest the cross down and strike it home to equalise, we missed 2 goals almost and 10 minutes of play hadn't passed. Cannivaro then got sent off, and from that moment it was destiny, we played like a team possessed. Gera's first goal was wonderful movement and accurate passing over the top, we were Barcelona in disguise. Damien Duff played like Messi that night, and when Clint Dempsey looked up, I don't care if he meant it or not, when that went in to make it 4-1 I don't think I have ever been as happy. We went ballistic. The Wolfsburg games were rather easy in the end I remember, Zamora scored another peach, but then we gave away a silly away goal at the end. I didn't go to the away leg, but Zamora scored a scruffy goal inside a minute, they didn't seem to threaten that much. Hamburg in the semis was a different matter, I missed the away leg, 0-0, but at home we looked like a beaten team. They had internationals all over their team, but we had a song, and my word we sang it. From the 40th minute onwards all you could hear was "Stand up if you still believe" and it worked. Just listen to this, it'll bring back so much. http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xd4qzy_www-soccerhighlights-org-fulham-vs_sport#.UeDcd4Xyu2x Going to the final was such a trip, I went to Oxford, got in a car, and we drove all the way to Hamburg doing a stadium tour along the way, PSV Eindhoven at 2am was great. In Hamburg we just hit the beers, visited the Reeperbahn, walked to Old Town and most importantly touched the trophy that hopefully Danny Murphy would lift hours later. It wasn't to be, we lost in extra time to a last minute winner from Diego Forlan. It was one game too many, Zamora looked badly injured and we were lucky to take them to extra time, wave after wave came at us, Etuhu played as another central defender throughout the second half. When the final whistle went it was the only time I've ever cried after a football match, I had new respect for Forlan though, as our players were on the floor and the Athletico players wheeled away to their fans in celebration, before he went to join them he bent down and spoke to every player. What a pro. No season could follow that up, and I was disappointed we couldn't convince Roy 'my boy' to stay, although Hughes was a good candidate, he's a dour man. The '10-'11 season was average, far too many draws when we should have won though. The next season was even worse for draws (turning into loses) and it was obvious Hughes just didn't know how to get a team to score, you did the right thing in sacking him and replacing him with Jol. I went to all the Europa League games but the magic wasn't there, Hughes had squeezed all the fun out of the team. Last season was my favourite league season, only because of Dimitar Berbatov who is without doubt, the most talented footballer I have ever seen in a Fulham shirt. So much kudos to the board and Jol for putting together the package that has brought him to our club. His touch is incredible and although he may not run enough sometimes, it's obvious he cares, and we absolutely love him. If only Steve Sidwell wasn't so mindless in his passing we'd be great, Steve's great at breaking up play but when he has the ball I just want him to give it easy to someone who can actually pass. Berba's scored some insane goals for us, like the one against Stoke and it all looks so natural for him. I know he wants to get back to European football and so do I, but I think after this year he wants a big twilight cheque and fair play to him, he's talented enough and hard working enough to deserve it. I hope you enjoy what is your retirement now, and I trust you have handed the club over to someone who will respect and honour our values as that 'little club by the river', but build us to be a challenger to the top 6. Thank you for everything you have done for us, you are a Fulham legend and without you we would have sunken in the mire many many years ago. You've done everything you promised, maybe not win the Premier League but that one was a little optimistic, and maybe one day looking out over the Thames we can put you next to MJ on a plinth of your own. All the best Mo, HE WANTS TO BE A BRIT, AND QPR ARE **** AL FAYED WHOO-O AL FAYED WHOO-O"
