Fulham

Fulham Football Club is one of the oldest clubs in England. They are based in Fulham which is in the west of London. Their stadium, Craven Cottage is on the north bank of the Thames. The stadium is named after a Royal hunting lodge that stood on the same spot for over 300 years. Fulham’s nickname is the Cottagers. 

The Cottagers are the oldest club in London and have played many seasons in the highest tier of English football. 

• Stadium: Craven Cottage  
• Stadium Capacity: 25,700
• Location: West London 
• Founded: 1879 
• Nickname: The Cottagers, The Whites, The Lilywhites
• Manager: Scott Parker
• Kit: White shirt and socks, black shorts

Fulham was formed in 1879 and is based in West London on the banks of the River Thames. Their main rivals are Chelsea, whose Stamford Bridge Stadium is actually in Fulham rather than Chelsea. Throughout its history, Fulham have played in all four divisions of English football and have never won a major trophy, although they were very close in 2010 when they lost the Europa League Final to Athletico Madrid after extra-time. Here are some of the highlights:

• Championship Winners (second level): 2000/01
• FA Cup Runners-up: 1975
• UEFA Europa League Runners-up: 2010
• Premier League best finish (7th): 2008/09

The Manager 

Scott Parker was born in Lambeth in London, only a few miles from Fulham. He started his football career as a player, playing for Charlton Athletic and went on to play for Chelsea, Newcastle United, West Ham and Spurs before moving to Fulham. He represented England in the under 16, under 18 and under 21 teams before graduating to the national team and earning 18 international caps. Parker retired from playing in 2017 and returned to Tottenham Hotspur to coach the under-18 team.

Parker was appointed as a caretaker manager in 2019 following the departure of Claudio Ranieri. He signed a two-year contract as manager and led the team to fourth place in the Championship and on to promotion to the Premier League following a victory over Brentford in the play-off Final.

Players to watch

The Fulham manager is not the only influence on the Fulham squad. Here are two players to watch out for in the Premier League this season:

Aleksandar Mitrovic

The Serbian striker was the top scorer in the Championship in the season that led to Fulham’s promotion to the Premier League with 26 goals. He was the most prolific player in the league with 26 goals and three assists. 
Mitrovic is Fulham manager Scott Parker’s first-choice penalty taker, netting from the spot on 5 occasions last season.

Joe Bryan

The English left-back helped Fulham keep 17 clean sheets last season. As well as being part of a solid back four, Bryan scored both of his side’s goals in Fulham’s win in the Championship play-off final. The defender was involved in 10 goals throughout the season and made more attempts on goal than the rest of the back four combined.