Hi guys I have a blog which looks at certain aspects of the game and clubs, and one thing I want to try and get something to write on is the feelings of Fulham fans toward the Europa League, broken down in to a number of categories.... 1. How you felt before the season started about the Europa League competition 2. How you felt as you progressed until the end of the 'league' stage. 3. You opinion on the knockout stage, from a Fulham fan perspective. 4. Do you know if Fulham made any money out of taking part? If yes, how much? 5. Your overall opinion of the competition and how it effected the Premier League season. Please respond here or by PM and a big thanks to those who take the time and effort to respond
1. Excited 2. Increasingly excited. 3. Exciting. By getting past the group stage, if felt like we had achieved par, so anything beyond that was a bonus - and what a bonus it turned out to be. 4. I believe we did, but only because we went so far. It's not a money spinner if you go out in the group stages 5. For a club like ours, it's fantastic. It helped that we were comfortably mid-table by the time the knock out games came round, so there wasn't the temptation to play weakened teams in the cup games and save them for 'vital' league matches. My one gripe about the competition is that it's too long, a consequence of the ghastly practice of allowing Champions League failures to join in half way through. Most of them don't want to be there, and it means that any team who goes as far as we does has a ridiculous amount of games to play. But our Europa experience was hugely positive and I'd love for us to have another go.
I am kind of expecting positive vibes from you guys as it was a phenomenal achievement for a, and I hope you don't mind me saying this, unfashionable club. Just a shame you lost in the final.
Past glories... 1. How you felt before the season started about the Europa League competition - Kind like you feel on a first date... Excitement but also unsure of the outcome. 2. How you felt as you progressed until the end of the 'league' stage. One step at a time as history was written for this club. 3. You opinion on the knockout stage, from a Fulham fan perspective. Brilliant but I would not like to have to CL teams given a second chance. That gave our progress a more glorious spin. 4. Do you know if Fulham made any money out of taking part? If yes, how much? Think we did but not sure. There is a financial reward on points and wins. 5. Your overall opinion of the competition and how it effected the Premier League season. For a team with a small squad took a toll but Roy was brilliant in managing the resources available to him. Showed that is all about team and not individuals.
Hi TC! You ask about how we FELT, so time to add some emotion.... The hairs on the back of my neck STILL remember "Stand Up If You Still Believe" against Juventus and even more so against Hamburg ...... And then 1200 of us watching the necessary away win in Basle in the snow .... going out in the 117th minute of the final........ On the pitch, as Madness says, it was all about a team performing, above the sum of the individuals - players like Danny Murphy, Simon Davies and Zoltan Gera all driving the team on and Roy just, well, knowing what to do. In a nutshell - Happy Days! C O Y W
1. Something to do in August. 2. & 3. Thursday nights will never be the same again. 4. £8m 5. Funnily enough we seemed to thrive on playing three games a week. The wheels did come off a wee bit just before the final - regretably (although I understand why he did it) Roy played the eleven he wanted in the final in a league game the Wednesday before (against Stoke I think) and consequently we went into the final with Zamora and Duff carrying injuries. In all my years following the Club, season 2009/10 was our finest, without question. I still get a tingle of excitement remembering the Juventus and Hamburg games. And as for the experience of the final. It didn't start all that well, what with all the news about Gordon Brown's resignation and a 3am start my son and I didn't bother to go to bed, then we sat on the runway at Gatwick for 3 hours. But from the minute we did eventually touch down in Hamburg it was magic. I've never been prouder to wear the Fulham colours than I was that night.
What C58 said 1 through 4 5. It did affect the campaign a bit as we finished mid-table that season and played over 60 games, I think. By the end the players looked knackered. However this was offset by some of the greatest times we've had as Fulham fans. I mean, beating Juve, who had dropped out of the Champions League, beating the current holders (or UEFA holders as this was the first Europa competition following it morphing) and 2 German teams, one of whom would have had the final in their home stadium. And let's not forget we played a team in the final who had Forlan and Aguero as their strike force and they only beat us right at the last knockings. Also, suddenly, we were getting press coverage, our manager was getting the credit he deserved and we became nearly everyones favourite second team. Most of us would take entry into the competition again in a heartbeat.
hi TC. Let us have the link to the blog when it's written. This period of the clubs history was totally unbelievable and one that still makes me break in to a broad smile. It was without doubt the best season I have seen at the Cottage. So here we go: 1. How you felt before the season started about the Europa League competition very open minded, hoping that we would put in a good show. Don't forget we had to start the campaign in July for the qualification games! It was a long season. 2. How you felt as you progressed until the end of the 'league' stage. couldn't quite believe what was happening. Amazing team performances against Roma, FC Basle and others with a win against Basle in the snow! It was like we were all in a dream! the atmosphere at every European game at the Cottage was quite unbelievable (I use that word a lot), just brilliant. The we qualified, I was on cloud 9. 3. You opinion on the knockout stage, from a Fulham fan perspective. The knockout stage was so good. I felt a tinge of 'Oh well' when we drew Juve but the game was superb and to look at the scoreboard with 4-1 on it was mind boggling! Then Shaktar, then Wolfsburg, then Hamburg. Little ol' Fulham in the final and we almost did it. Athletico are no mugs and we almost did it. 4. Do you know if Fulham made any money out of taking part? If yes, how much? No, don't know although C58 has indicated a sum above. It certainly put Fulham on the map. 5. Your overall opinion of the competition and how it effected the Premier League season. I thought the competition was great for clubs like Fulham. it did have an effect on the season. It was a long season for some players, some played over 60 games that season! We still finished 12th though. If Norwich ever get a chance to play in it, all Canary fans will love it!
