It’s only natural that the overriding emotion just after that sudden blow to our collective solar plexis was crushing disappointment. Getting that close has to hurt. But, given a couple of days to place the whole experience in the broader picture, I challenge any Fulham fan to be feeling anything other than very, very proud.
Proud of how Roy Hodgson handled defeat. With characteristic frankness, he set the defeat in it’s rightful context minutes after the game had finished. In that analytical manner of his that seems to have been borrowed from a sixties schoolmaster rather than a modern football manager, Roy conceded that found it difficult to make a technically gifted and exceptionally dangerous Atletico Madrid. When Sergio Aguero was leading all and sundry a merry dance after Forlan’s first goal, I feared Fulham might buckle under the pressure.
That goes against everything we know about the team Hodgson’s built. In adversity, we saw those familiar qualities yet again – endeavour, teamwork and the will not to be beaten. That spirit had carried Fulham through far greater crises that this and Simon Davies’ sweet strike had our hopes soaring. It’s right to acknowledge his contribution here too. Davies has been written off by some as past it and injury-prone over the past season, but he scored one of the best goals I’ve seen in a high-pressure situation to get us back into the semi-final and demonstrated that flawless technique at the far post again on Wednesday night.
Defensively we were clearly stretched but the boys kept going. Dickson Etuhu imposed himself on proceedings and quelled some of those speedy Atletico breaks. There was plenty of courage on display. Most of our back four were carrying niggling injuries and Damien Duff soldiered on despite the calf strain from Stoke. Bobby Zamora battled gamely for the best part of an hour and caused enough consternation to create the goal. Everyone was a hero.
Tactically, we were difficult to break down but, if anyone doubts that Roy’s too nice for the pressure-cooker, get them to watch the video again. The difference between an anxious first half and the positive manner in which the Whites started the second half was remarkable. As ever with Fulham, with a bit more luck, the balance might have tilted our way. But don’t take too long to consider the ‘if only’s’ – the memories should simply be happy ones.
Remember all those people you told you that the Europa League would wreck Fulham’s season. That we’d be a relegation dogfight before we knew it. The astounding thing about this season is that, for all the thousands of miles the same players travelled week in, week out, the Whites still finished well clear of the danger zone. Think about the sides we’ve played and beaten: Basel, Shakhtar Donetsk, Juventus and Hamburg. We fell in the final seconds against a team that possessing one of the most frightening strike partnerships in all of Europe – there’s no shame in that.
The enormity of all of it could have been too much. I first started going to Fulham in the early 1990s – and many of my friends have been following the club for far longer. Sadly, I couldn’t make it to Hamburg, but it felt like I was there. Not just because of the sheer number of phone calls and text messages I received from my Fulham family, but those banners, the black and white masses and the songs that came through loud and clear on the television.
Most football fans will never get to see their team in a European final. We did – and the boys certainly didn’t let us down.
Great post Dan.
It hurt to lose right at the end, but we really need to look at the bigger picture as you suggest. We made it to a European Final which we could have won, We beat some great teams along the way, and we have had a solid season in the prem (we beat Man utd and Lpool!).
Once the disappointment wears off and the World Cup starts things will return to normal. Right now though I am still trying to move on!
Here Here!
There is so much to be proud of, even the most critical fulham fan has to see the achievment made by a small squad. The will of the team is exceptional.
I absolutly love being a Fulham fan and wouldn’t have it anyother way!
Dan,
That is the best post I have ever seen you write. I couldn’t agree with you more. It is all about pride.
Great post Dan. I was very fortunate and got the chance to go with my son. It was without doubt a most amazing experience that will live long in my memory.
The whole journey was amazing, Juve, Wolfsburg and Hamburg being up there . However the whole day on Wednesday was immense. Meeting people I hadn’t seen for years, mixing with the Athletico fans, the stadium, the atmosphere and on top of all of that our team gave everything they possibly could. We lost and yes that was not so good, but the sorrow pretty much immediately turned to pride. Pride in a club who went about things in the right way.
Winning in a game like that will have to wait (not too long I hope) but the world has seen a glimpse of what we Fulham fans already know. We support the best club in the world, bar none.
Well said, Dan. It seems as if we’re getting back to our feet and dusting ourselves off. There’s still a measure of pain, but we’re already starting to look back in fondness at the experience.
I, for one, am very glad that this is a World Cup summer. There’s a chance to devote my emotions and support to sides I’m not as heavily invested in. Enjoy.
Nice words Dan and spot on. I was utterly devastated at the final whistle. Angry with the officials, angry with Atletico, angry with Hamburg. A very glum and miserable journey home. 24 hours later, as I was looking through pictures of the day, I accepted that we achieved so much. At the end it proved a game too far, we had too many players not fully fit and a team that had been pushed beyond it’s limits. I’m proud of the effort we put in and of how close we came. I’m proud of our brilliant manager. I’m proud of our brilliant support.
League and Cup double next season you mark my words. 😉