On November 27 1995, the Daily Telegraph ran a story stating that “Fulham are in need of a miracle worker.” Maybe it was prophetic.
Eighteen months later one arrived, and a most unlikely one at that. May 29 1997 is a date that will remain etched in the memories of anyone associated with Fulham Football Club.
With Fulham fans still basking in the glory of promotion to Division Two, Mohamed Al Fayed announced to the public that he had purchased the freehold of Craven Cottage, along with a major shareholding in the Club.
It marked the beginning of a metamorphosis on the banks of the Thames and is undeniably the single most significant event in the Club’s history. In an instant the insecurities of the past were eliminated.
Understandably there was doubt and the cynics and skeptics were in full chorus. But the fans had every right to treat the arrival of a big businessman with even bigger promises, with suspicion. However, when the new Chairman laid out his plans to take Fulham to the Premiership within five years any suspicions were immediately doused.
In May 2007 Mohamed Al Fayed celebrated 10 years as Chairman of Fulham Football Club. In that time, Fulham have transformed from a struggling lower division side with a bleak future to an established Premier League club with an ever-growing fanbase, just as he promised when he purchased the Club with a five-year-plan to return the team to the top-flight.
There have been many memorable moments along the way, as the Whites breezed through the divisions in record breaking style, settled themselves in the Premier League, and made their first forays into Europe. Players of outstanding quality have also made the Fulham shirt their own: Louis Saha, Brian McBride, Steed Malbranque, Edwin van der Sar… The list of heroes never-to-be-forgotten goes on.
In recent years, a number of once great football clubs have found themselves on the brink of extinction and it’s all too easy to forget just how close Fulham were to a similar outcome. It’s impossible to say where Fulham Football Club would be now without Mohamed Al Fayed, but it’s equally impossible to imagine that any alternative realistic scenario could have brought more joy and progress.