Having read all the posts to date, there are many reasons why you suport Fulham. Me I lived equidistant from Fulham, Chelsea and QPR, (All three grounds are in the borough of Hammersmith & Fulham) but happened to be taken to a game in 1955, 4th Round FA cup against the holders Newcastle, although we lost 5-4, it was a superb introduction football. I have remained a fan eversince, went to all the games I could, when holiday from school. Saw debuts from George Cohen, Alan Mullery and Tony Macedo plus a few others along the way. Nogooboyo, well what a co-incidence, I used to go out with a girl who also lived in Doneraille Street, (1960) and Hatterdon, I just knew from your 'nick' you were a Luton fan, I live in Stevenage, so the Hatters are only 10 miles form me.
Yeah; I've got some great friends who live in Stevenage. There was a time I was the only Yank in an English bowling league in Stevenage. That's how I knew about the proliferation of roundabouts. Allen Mullery -- there was a player. We could use his like now.
RE: Followin OK, my turn, my turn. I studied for four months in London in fall of '03. Before that, the only professional football I knew was the kind with helmets and shoulder pads. But my wife, roommate, and I all decided to try to immerse ourselves in the London sports culture. When we got there, Chelscum had just been bought by Abramoscum. The season was just about to start and the Scum were all over the news. You couldn't pick up a paper without Damien Duff's mug being all over it. So, not knowing any better, we decided we were going to be Scum fans (of course, back then, we didn't know that that was the real name of that other team that plays in Fulham). But when we went to look for tickets, we couldn't justify spending the 200 quid that tickets were going for. We had just about thrown our hands up and written off English footie altogether as a form of recreation too expensive to delve into. On the opening day of the season, however, my friend wandered off from our Shepherd's Bush apartment for some reason unrelated to football. He returned an hour or so later, and he happened to have 3 tickets to the Fulham-Middlesbrough match that was going to take place at Loftus Road just hours later. There were two great things about this find: a) the ground was just one tube stop from our place and b) the tickets were restricted view and cost only 15 pounds! Fantastic, right? So we went. Bright, gorgeous day. We sat at the FFC supporters' end, watched the team warm up, and tried to understand the words being screamed and sung by the folks in their black and white shirts. The frenzy that enveloped us at the whistle had us ready for anything. The match was crazy-exciting, and it was capped off by a fearsome strike by Junichi Inamoto only minutes after he had failed on a shot over the bar. End result was 3-1 FFC and we were hooked! We wound up going to all the remaining home matches until we went home in December, and we even got to see a victory at White Hart Lane, and a loss to Charlton on a bone chilling day at the Valley. When I returned to the States, I learned that McBride had joined FFC, and later, so did Boca. I had no idea who those 2 guys were, but since they now played for Fulham, I decided I would start supporting my beloved country's national team as well. So instead of liking Fulham because of the Americans, I like the American team because of the two Fulham players! Just when I had resigned myself to the fact that my wife, roommate and I were the only Yanks who followed Fulham, I bought tickets on pre-sale to the Fulham v. MLS All Stars match just up the road in Columbus, Ohio. Of course, when I got there, I discovered FUSA, met some of the guys, learned their stories, and made new friends. I even found out that I had an Honest to Goodness eXiled Englishmen living just minutes away from me, who was a lifelong Fulham supporter (of course, the one of whom I speak is the beloved Dodger). Fulham fits me very well. I, too, support some other teams in other sports that are Fulhamish in the best (well, and the worst) sense of the word.
RE: Followin Hi guys, I live in Brighton on the south coast, about an hour and a half from London. Its about 11pm over here. I was reading through a UK forum, and then found a link to this website and have been reading through the posts over the last day or so. I just wanted to post to say that I think the support from you guys over there and on this site is great, its nice to have such a good support for our great club all the way from the states. Not sure whether you get many posts from England like this or not, anyway - Keep up your fantastic support. COYW!!!
RE: Followin Thanks for the kind words about our support for Fulham here in the States. We do get a lot of messages from those in England and in fact get a good number of posts on the board here as well. So, feel free to keep posting. How exactly did you come across this site? What UK Forum was it? Cheers and thanks again! Tom
RE: Followin The Forum i usually post on is the TFI sight. www.t-f-i.com. I'm sure you know what i'm talking about. I cant stand the Offal, its as if you cant talk to anyone about football on there. I was talking to a swedish guy on TFI about Bjorn Runstrom and he said there was a good article on this sight about him,and sent me the link,and now here i am. Its nice to find a sight where people actually want to talk about football, most of the forums are just so full of garbage and people trying to pick apart your answers with funy little pokes and jibes. Anyway i'll stop drivling, i'm sure you're all looking forward to the big kick-off - how are you fancying our chances next season?
RE: Followin My story starts about 4 years ago, when the Premiership first started being televised in my area. At that time I started to follow it more closely. Van Der Sar was my favorite player, so I just started following Fulham. Since then Fulham have grown on me more than I could ever have imagined at the time, not least since my first visit to the Cottage in April 2005.
Why I am a Fulham Fan I was born in Fulham and lived first on the Lillie Road and then at Hammersmith Broadway. Being born almost midway between Fulham Broadway and Stevenage Road, I had a choice, I made the right one when I saw my first match at the cottage in '64. Since then I have moved to many locations and settled in the US, but I have never forgotten my roots. I never forget the matches standing on the cold Hammy End for a midweek evening match with the temperatures so cold you couldn't sit on the concrete steps at HT, where the crowd was so sparse I wondered if we would ever reach the heights of the first division again. I never forget seeing Haynes, Barrett, Conway, Best, Moore, too many to name here. I never forget the tea and meat pie at halfTime, the 'excitement' of filling out the halftime scores looking at those coloured lights and letters (it was the precursor to the proper electronic score card), I will never forget my mates who lived in Niton Street, Finlay Street (lucky sods) and finally I will never forget the fact that every other fan wearing black and white at those matches were there for life, just like me. Fulham isn't a fad team, they don't go in and out of style, they are just Fulham, just Fulhamish and just by the river.
It's been great reading all the reasons why people support Fulham. It certainly confirms my the decision to support the Whites. I started following the EPL last season and was a "fan" of ManU. I knew of Tim Howard and didn't know much about any team outside the big 4 (liverpool, chelsea, manu and arsenal) and of those four, Man U seemed the best choice. So, I watched all their matches on FSC and tried to follow the team as best I could. After the World Cup, I thought about the new EPL season and started to wonder if Man U was really my team. The more I thought about it, they seemed like a bandwagon choice that was too safe and too easy. I didn't want to be the new guy who picked the big, successful team to support; it just felt to fake to me. So, I began searching the internet on some of the EPL teams I'd enjoyed watching last year. Fulham was certainly on the list as I liked both Boca and McBride and I dig Fulham's colors. I eventually ran across this site and loved it. The site is well-run and full of passionate Fulham fans who have meaningful footy discussion without the immaturity of many boards. After a week or so here, I decided that Fulham was to be my team. I will follow Fulham forever, no matter how Fulhamish they get. Come On You Whites!!
Well everyone else has so why not, I was born in Hammersmith hospital and for all those that know it's next to a famous prison called wormwood scrubs, not the most nicest of prisons not from the oustide anyway, dont know and dont want to know what the inside is like. My dad took me to my first game on my 8th Birthday back in 1965 watched Chelsea play Aston Villa. My mum convinced me to support Fulham since we did infact live in Fulham (Barons Court and Walham Grove)and Not chelsea. an uncle brought me my first Fulham season ticket in 1969 and from there on have always supported Fulham. I got married in 1980 and moved to Stevenage and then Baldock, where I watched both teams. Baldock unfortunately was closed down a couple of years ago due to Financial problems and at present is being funded by Hitchin FC. I now live in Nashville TN with my 2nd wife and Haven't been"Home" in four years. sadly my mum is 86 and very sick so I may well be going home soon. I hope I haven't bored you all to muc? COYW's
Wouldnt have bored if it were twice as much... Hope you have a chance to see your mum, while there's time!
RE: Followin I followed McBride becuase he was my favorite Yank Abroad, but I quickly fell in love with the whole team and they style of play. I think Steed helped covert me to Fulham, too, but sadly, we know what has become of him lately. Finding FulhamUSA was great, and I am definetly addicted to the Whites now. No turning back I guess.
I started going when I was 7 or 8 years old I am 43 now every week my fathers 6 brothers would all meet up for every home game and we all stood at the Putney end. I was always a Goalkeeper at school so always watched them started watching Malcolm Webster them Peter Mellor I can remeber seeing him nut nutmegged in The Cup Final we went all over England that year including Hillsboro, and Maine Road for the Semi-Finals, then to Wembley it was fantastic to be part of. I have been in the US for 15years so have not seen a game for probably 17 years, but I am gong next Saturday for the Sheff U game already got tickets in the John Haynes stand its the first time I have ever seen a game at the Cottage & not been in the Putney End.
RE: Followin Without quoting "nogoodboyo", that was nice, very nice. Not as far back, but the feeling is mutual.
year what a year 1975 was, I'll always remember going to Wembley, shame they have pulled it down it just wont be the same. Great reading. THANKS for your comments Pettyfog I really wish I could go back but I just cant.
RE: Followin I sorta picked Fulham at random. After enjoying the World Cup '06 tremendously (and playing soccer for the better part of the last 22 years), I realized that I needed badly to follow top-flight football, and I went to the Premiership website for more direction. I read the write-ups on all the EPL teams and for some reason Fulham stood out. The history is fantastic, the ups-and-downs of being a fan (for some reason) appealed to me, and I liked the team colors. After becoming part of the Fulham USA family and seeing what truly amazing and supportive fans FFC has, it occured to me that I made the right choice! It's so cool to be accepted into a community who is so knowledgeable and so welcoming and I really feel as though Fulham is and has always been the team for me! We may never ever win the Premiership trophy, but I already feel as though I've become part of a group whose membership requires little but gives so much! Welcome to the FUSA community and I hope you find it as rewarding as I have!
