I cant help but applauded Fulham for entering the final of the Europa League. They entered Europa League after they finished seventh in the Barclay's Premier League last season. Fulham really had come a long way to be where there are now. It has been 12 years after Mohamed Al-Fayed revolution takeover on Fulham and look where there are.
Fulham is just an average club, compared to the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool. But it's tradition and history is just as rich as their counterparts. They 'climbed up' to the Premier League, from Division 3 -> Division 2 -> Division 1 -> Premier League. To gain promotions to higher division is never easy, but they managed to do it in just 5 years. Playing in the Premier League with the 'big boys' is just as hard. They struggled to survive in the Premier League.
But after almost 8 years playing in the Premier League, things are getting better. With the appointment of Roy Hodgson, Fulham is quickly becoming a respected team not just in England, but also in Europe.
Orang mungkin pandang depa sebelah mata. Europa Cup ja, bukan Champions League pun but still I found it a heck of an achievement. Fulham do not have much spending power like Chelsea or Manchester United. Dan tengok lineup pemain depa. Bobby Zamora, Damien Duff, Dempsey, Zoltan Gera-yang mana mereka ini bukanlah dikategorikan sebagai pemain bertaraf dunia.
Tapi dalam Europa Cup, dalam perjalanan ke final depa beat Juventus (Italian powerhouse), Shaktar Donetsk (juara Europa League tahun lepas), Wolfsburg (juara liga Jerman tahun lepas), AS Roma (juga Italian powerhouse) dan baru-baru di semi-final di mana depa buat comeback ke atas Hamburg. Team yang depa beat semua pernah menang Liga di negara masing-masing. Can you imagine?
All in all, everybody played a part. They have a great coach, great mentality, great fans, great discipline. Everybody contributes towards reaching their first ever european final. It was an emotional moment for me, when I watched them played Juventus. They need to score at least 3 goals to win. They are losing but the fans keep cheering on and the players never gave up. At last they won the game in style. Their adventure in this season's Europa League has been an inspiration for me.
This 'Cinderella Story' spurs me on. Makes me believe in 'magic'. It makes me believe that no matter how helpless or how weak we are, we can achieve anything- as long as we believe in it.
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