DANNY MURPHY: Fulham are enjoying their greatest soccer since reaching the Europa League last in 2010

The Fulham group I captained in 2010 stay the final English group outdoors the Massive Six to succeed in a European last.

We punched above our weight then and they’re punching above their weight now. The highest six initially of this weekend featured monetary heavyweights Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Newcastle United and Tottenham — and my much smaller former club.

I went again to Craven Cottage to meet up with outdated buddies and have fun their rebirth below Marco Silva, having been a yo-yo membership for 10 years.

Their final two seasons within the Premier League resulted in rapid relegation however there’s a completely different buzz this time. Beat Spurs on Monday night time and so they’ll go forward of Antonio Conte’s males, though a few of Tottenham’s substitutes value greater than Fulham’s costliest participant, Aleksandar Mitrovic.

Fulham’s summer time recruitment has been intelligent, having been scattergun in 2018 and light-weight in 2020 — their earlier two promotion years.

This time, bingo! Andreas Pereira from Manchester United has been good; bringing high quality and vitality. Portugal worldwide Joao Palhinha is a steal at £17million (Wolves had been additionally fascinated by case they misplaced Ruben Neves). For my part Palhinha is healthier, with extra to his sport. Willian was a shrewd signing: been there, executed it. Goalkeeper Bernd Leno has added stability, paying homage to Mark Schwarzer from my period.

When Fulham appointed Silva, there have been sceptics however he’s starting to achieve respect. Even that partisan Geordie Alan Shearer advised me how impressed he was with Fulham after their sport at Newcastle.

I’d picked Fulham to go down once more however modified my thoughts after one sport. Watching their 2-2 draw towards Liverpool, I realised Silva was going to fluctuate Fulham’s techniques and never follow the system that dominated the Championship through possession.

Fulham aren’t afraid to make use of the air energy of Mitrovic. They will adapt to completely different conditions. They’re good at urgent however can defend the field. These survivors from the relegation groups have gained from the expertise, resembling defender Tim Ream, who has been unbelievable this season.

Again on the Cottage, I ran into Mark Maunders, who has been on the membership 25 years from the Mohamed Al-Fayed/Kevin Keegan days. He’s nonetheless participant care officer and may see similarities in the way in which former boss Roy Hodgson and Silva work. They’re each tracksuit managers who get on the coaching pitch to develop gamers.

They create an setting the place gamers can switch what they’ve realized at larger golf equipment. I got here to Fulham having handled the depth that got here with enjoying for Liverpool and Tottenham. I noticed a distinction straight away.

It’s a pleasant membership the place all departments work alongside one another on the coaching floor. It feels much less pressurised, the group are nonetheless passionate however help quite than intimidate if issues go flawed.

Any profitable group additionally wants a supervisor to transmit their imaginative and prescient. We had it in Roy. We escaped relegation, then completed seventh, then beat Juventus on the way in which to reaching the Europa League last, shedding late to Atletico Madrid.

Schwarzer set the tone for the entire group. He was the perfect keeper I performed with, a frontrunner and communicator. He was devoted to the purpose of coaching the day after matches when he didn’t must. If we’d gone to penalties towards Atletico I’d have backed him above their keeper, David de Gea.

The Cottage has an excellent new stand as of late which Fayed’s successor as proprietor, Shahid Khan, has constructed, allaying any fears supporters had that the membership would transfer to a distinct stadium.

The capability isn’t higher than 25,000 however creates a implausible environment with followers near the pitch. I used to be suspended for his or her well-known win towards Juventus however the semi-final second leg towards Hamburg will at all times reside in my thoughts.

We drew the primary leg 0-0, having pushed quite than flown to Germany due to the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud, and fell behind. The followers began chanting ‘Stand Up Should you Nonetheless Consider’ — an anthem they nonetheless sing — and we got here again to win 2-1.

I’m proud to have assisted with the equaliser for Simon Davies, one in all my most notable contributions outdoors the header towards Portsmouth that stored us up. Once we bought again into the dressing room, I heard Liverpool had misplaced the opposite semi-final to Atletico. I used to be happy on the time — I didn’t need to come up towards my pal Steven Gerrard in a last!

A narrative that by no means made the papers occurred earlier than the semi-final. Clint Dempsey anticipated to begin however Bobby Zamora declared himself match so Roy needed to break the unhealthy information. Clint was livid and smashed a thick window along with his fist — there was blood all over the place and when he got here on as sub, his hand wanted a overlaying.

Roy’s success noticed him lured by Liverpool that summer time. Mark Hughes got here in however after a Boxing Day defeat by West Ham, Fayed known as me to see if the gamers needed a change of supervisor.

I used to be a giant fan of Mark, backed him, and thank goodness nothing occurred.

Mark ultimately left of his personal accord, feeling the finances on supply couldn’t take the group ahead. Martin Jol got here in, I’d had him at Spurs and felt it wasn’t a superb match as a result of he was higher working with younger gamers than senior professionals.

The membership stalled on new contracts for gamers like Dempsey, AJ (Andy Johnson) and myself. There was an exodus, Clint and Mousa Dembele went to Spurs and I joined Blackburn in 2013. It was the top of a implausible interval and followers have needed to wait till now for one more.

If Liverpool was the membership for me from delivery, Fulham is my second soccer house. I used to be 30 after I signed, knew my strengths and weaknesses, and was comfy when Roy made me captain. We spoke on a regular basis and typically I’d change into the messenger for any s**t the lads needed to get off their chest!

I wasn’t alone in striving for prime requirements. Damien Duff, Schwarz, AJ had been the identical. The membership constructed the medical and sport science aspect; blood exams, hydration exams, dietary supplements by the locker. We weren’t the largest group however we had been skilled. Some employees are nonetheless there. Like Mark, Tracy within the ticket workplace has been there 25 years. Chief govt Alistair Waterproof coat joined in 2008.

For Fulham to compete, there must be full collaboration between the supervisor and different elements of the membership. Transfers need to be proper by way of value, statistics and the participant having the fitting character. To this point all elements are working in tandem. You’ve bought to applaud the housekeeping. They’ve matched Spurs this season, though they function in a distinct space of the switch market to signal Richarlison, Cristian Romero and Davinson Sanchez.

Khan flew to Portugal to fulfill Silva earlier than the appointment, so the supervisor knew he had buy-in from the very high. On the primary day, Silva met senior gamers and collectively they got here up with the in-house guidelines. It reveals readability, a lot better than a gimmicky ‘team-bonding day’.

 I bear in mind Jol taking us paintballing throughout a foul spell. It was peeing down with rain and no person needed to go. We felt further coaching was extra needed.

The 2020 group below then-boss Scott Parker might have stayed up if they’d constructed on a win at Anfield. Their greatest signings had been loanees Mario Lemina and Joachim Andersen however you couldn’t evaluate their influence with what Palhinha, Pereira, Leno and Willian have executed this season.

Mitrovic will once more be key towards Tottenham tomorrow, though I might give him some recommendation on penalty-taking after his slip final week! That’s the third spot-kick he has missed this season.

The Serbian striker really needed to depart Fulham after the final relegation however they persuaded him to attend till a brand new supervisor had are available. And Silva gained him spherical. It most likely helped that Silva had tried to signal Mitrovic when at Watford.

Participant performances can rely on group type. Within the flawed system, Mitrovic can look remoted. In the mean time he’s a correct point of interest and may even drop deep at instances the way in which Harry Kane does at Spurs.

My hyperlink with Fulham continued after retiring. My recommendation was sought on appointing new managers — although not at all times taken!

Then my media profession started, which put concepts of teaching or being a director of soccer on the again foot. However the Cottage nonetheless holds a particular place in my coronary heart. I can be there tomorrow night time overlaying the sport for radio.

It’s enormous credit score to Fulham that each groups on present can have European ambitions.