It is, as they say, the hope that kills you.

Fulham got off to the perfect start, scoring with our first attack of the game. Konchesky went on one of his signature raids down the left and produced a perfect cross to cause confusion the Chelsea box. The ball cannoned off Zamora and fell to Gera, who – exactly as he had done against Manchester United back in March – took one touch to flick the ball into the air and then hooked it over his shoulder and into the net. A guttural, determined roar from the away end, if not ecstasy – there were, after all, 86 minutes still to be played. But we were in with a chance now.

As the first half went on, Chelsea enjoyed the overwhelming majority of possession but our shape was superb (which almost goes without saying these days). Although we struggled to mount attacks of our own, neither did our opponents truly threaten and we negotiated our path to half time with minimal fuss.

The game so far had contained four stoppages for player injuries and, by incredible coincidence, the wounded party on each occasion was Didier Drogba. This seemed to perturb John Panstil somewhat – our man was enjoying a great tussle with the Ivorian and, I think, genuinely getting on his nerves. It could only be good for our cause.

With the second period underway, Fulham had a rare glimpse of goal as Zamora intercepted an underhit backpass only for Cech to save. Before long, however, we were sitting further back with our passing increasingly erratic: in contrast to the first half, we began to seem in genuine danger. Lampard probed, Drogba battled – but the Fulham defence was performing wonders, debutant Chris Smalling included. The clock reached 70 minutes with the score still 0-1.

Our problems began when Pantsil was forced off through injury and Roy Hodgson moved Chris Baird across to cover. Baird is an excellent player who has the added advantage of being able to play two positions… but right-back is not one of them. Within 10 minutes our resistance was over: Baird missing a back-post header and Drogba finishing powerfully past the startled Schwarzer.

A more painful blow was to follow. Still reeling from the first goal, our defence gave too much space to Kalou, who turned Konchesky inside out and squared across goal. Sturridge’s shot from an angle was saved by Schwarzer, but only against the knee of Smalling who, agonsizingly, couldn’t react in time to stop it crossing the line.

We recovered to have perhaps our best attacking spell of the game. Johnson, returning from injury, and Riise came on – the latter supplying one delicious cross that no-one was predatory enough to profit from. We won but then proceeded to waste a succession of corners and free-kicks – Murphy, Duff and Riise all failing to beat the first man which, given Chelsea’s recent and well-documented vulnerability from set plays, was criminal.

And then time ran out. Arse.

As good a 0-0 as we’ll see.  This one felt like a real test: it’s all well and good thrashing a wounded Manchester United (I’ve never said that before), but Spurs, as currently set up, are somewhat different, a team at the very top of its game, and with devastating attacking players all over the pitch.  So we’d have to be at the top of our own game to get anything, which, as it transpired, is pretty much how things turned out.

The key to playing good attacking teams is to stop them playing, and after that to keep the ball yourself.   We weren’t so hot on the second part, but the defence was outstanding.  Aaron Lennon has been as dangerous as anyone in the league this season, and Paul Konchesky more or less shut him down.  Similarly, Peter Crouch, a hulking great menace, was barged further and further away from the middle of the field and times he seemed to be playing on the left wing.  Good player, but he can’t hurt us from there.  Aaron Hughes, Brede Hangeland and Chris Baird all did their bit.

(Baird, for that matter, must have set some kind of record for picking off opposing passes.  In the first half he seemed to have a sixth sense for where the ball might be going – he was fantastic.  Time and again some poor unsuspecting Spurs player found an unexpected Baird leg in the way.  Marvellous, and just what we needed.)

The first half was perhaps the better of the two, and an interesting contrast:  Spurs had all the ball, while Fulham created a series of half-chances that, on another day, could have given us a handy lead.  Duff drove hard and low (doesn’t he always) but Gomes saved, Murphy had a shot bound for the top corner marvellously saved, and Dempsey cracked a Ronaldoesque free-kick against the crossbar from what our American cousins might call ‘downtown’.  Add several other near-near misses and it felt like we were on the verge of something.  Against this, Spurs did seem to control possession, and looked dangerous whenever they attacked. They will have been disappointed not to work Schwarzer more than they did (which was hardly at all).

The second half was absorbing in its own way, the middle rounds of a boxing contest where two well matched fighters are spending some time jabbing at one another but not really looking for the knockout.  There was incident, notably a couple more fine Gomes saves (he’s a bloody good keeper) from Zamora, but now the game felt like a 0-0 waiting to happen (earning your correspondent money on this scoreline for the second straight Boxing Day (although I also had 5-1 and 3-3 – couldn’t be sure)).   Crouch nearly settled it for Spurs, a ball bouncing kindly for him on the edge of the box was pummeled towards the bottom corner of Schwarzer’s net – I was certain it was in, Crouch had struck it that well – but no, somehow Schwarzer flew across goal and got a hand on it, then saved the follow-up for good measure.  Outstanding goalkeeping, as usual.   Redknapp threw on Modric and Defoe, but Fulham were in a collective zone and neither looked like budging us.   By now both teams seemed happy enough with 0-0, a good reward for a good day’s work.    An enjoyable game.

There is still much water left to flow under the 2009 bridge, but now seems as reasonable time as any to take a look back.

As I write this, on Christmas Eve, things couldn’t be much better for Fulham FC.  We have a solid squad with a settled team and legitimate backup options in most positions.  We are playing well, but all signs are that (as Richey Edwards put it) we are 4 REAL.  This team is not built on moments of genius from two or three star men, the efforts of wage draining playmaker, or anything that might be taken away at short notice.   It is a team, a team that works together to win together, and might conceivably keep on doing so for a fair while yet.   This is a cliche, and as Danny Murphy recently said, what Roy Hodgson preaches is not rocket science, but doing simple things well is not the same as doing easy things.   If Roy Hodgson’s work were easily replicable the league would be a tougher place by far.

The intriguing thing is how Hodgson has done all this.   What is it about John Paintsil, Paul Konchesky, Aaron Hughes, Danny Murphy, Chris Baird, Dickson Etuhu, Damian Duff and Bobby Zamora that Hodgson saw that other managers did not?  All of these players could have been acquired reasonably cheaply within the last few years, but all of them are here and (relative to their previous selves) absolutely thriving.  Fulham is a club that all players should want to get into – it doesn’t work for everyone, but if you make it here you’re going to be part of something worthwhile.  That has to help Roy recruit when the time comes to build on what we have.

Can we build on what we have though?   It is all very well saying that some players could be improved upon – which technically must be the case – but can their potential replacements do all that the current players do and then some?  This is the problem facing Alec McLeish at Birmingham.  All of a sudden he finds himself with a ‘greater than the sum of its parts’ team on his hands.  Who does he sacrifice to use up his Carson Yeung windfall?   It is not easy at all.

The current squad seems to share a few traits:

All are British, British *type* players, or speak the language very well.  We have hardly any players left in our squad for whom adaptation should be an issue.   Bjorn Helge Riise seems likely to require a bit longer in acclimatising before he’s ready for the hammering of a week-by-week Premiership schedule, but beyond him what you see is more or less what you get.  Roy minimises his risks by recruiting players with a degree of certainty about them.

A good blend between experienced and quite experienced players.  There are, with the exception of Chris Smalling and David Stockdale, very few young players in this Fulham squad.   This team has a mature approach, is solid, reliable, and remarkably consistent.  It is full of players who know their game and know how to play the game as Roy wishes.

An intelligent squad.  Hodgson made this point in an interview the other day, saying that he wants players to question him, to understand the team’s approach.  He singled out Schwarzer, Hangeland, Hughes, Konchesky, Murphy, Baird and Duff, and just reading those names you get a feel for the sort of character Hodgson wants around.  There aren’t any Flash Harry players in that list are there?   There aren’t any in the squad either.   Hodgson knows his methods will work, but needs to have players who he can trust to stay on message on the field.   We turn our minds back to Hodgson’s time at Blackburn, and an ongoing issue with Tim Sherwood, the Rovers player who was angling for a move to Spurs:

“Because of Tottenham’s unwanted interest I have had to take him out of the team,” Hodgson said. “Spurs have been told twice, both verbally and in writing that the player is not for sale. The player’s agent continues to make noises and unsettle him, so much so that I have to leave him out. Tim is not in the right frame of mind, he is very tempted by the supposed offer from Tottenham and by the possibility of returning to his native north London.

“Tottenham’s interest in him has destabilised our club. Tim signed a new four-year contract just seven months ago.”

Hodgson revealed that Sherwood had asked Blackburn for a new deal – on the same money that Tottenham are ready to pay to him – but that the suggestion had been thrown out by Blackburn’s owner, Jack Walker.

He said: “Both Jack Walker and I see a defection from Tim Sherwood as being a definite negative. We’ve told him in no uncertain terms that he’s not for sale but it has not resolved the situation. He obviously does not believe that is the case and that his contract should be improved.”

However, Hodgson is also prepared to sell Sherwood if the problem carries on as he feels an unhappy player would disrupt a delicate harmony at the club where several big names have left over the last year.

He is putting team spirit first and said: “I don’t want to leave myself open to any charges that a player is playing whose heart and head is elsewhere. The only way I can justify leaving a McKinlay or Flitcroft out of the team is when I know that the 11 who are playing are blue and white through and through.”

(From a story in the Independent)

That says a lot about our man, about the way he disposed of Jimmy Bullard, and about the way he has constructed a team with its collective head screwed on.   Who in this side is going to angle for a move to a big club?   Hangeland maybe (although he seems happy), but anyone else?   Clint Dempsey is young, has an improving reputation and is known to be ambitious, but even Clint’s more outspoken observations came when he wasn’t getting regular football.  There’s little reason to assume that the current situation is anything but ideal for all of our better players.  So assuming they don’t get complacent – and you would assume this to be unlikely – we have nothing beyond the usual ups and downs of fate to worry about. Danny Murphy will need replacing eventually, Bobby Zamora will stop scoring every game, but the framework is in place for this team to finish between 5th and 15th every year without too much concern.   It’s perfect.

So we have a very definite type of player at the club now, a type of player we can all appreciate and enjoy watching.  Things are probably as good as they could be for Fulham FC at the moment, and for this we must be delighted.

Some highlights of the last year, then:

The end of season momentum that took us to Europe.  Let’s not forget that for some time we were up and down, but never really solid like we are now.  Then the season ran down, we passed 40 points, and before we knew it Diomansy Kamara was running riot (that’s how it seems anyway).  Europe was the last thing anyone would have expected, and let’s be honest, the last thing some people wanted, but it has been a huge success on so many levels, and I hope we can do it again.

European football.  There’s something European about European football.  Everything’s a bit sideways:  the rush from the pub to the ground feels different, for one thing, the Hammy End crush altogether different to anything you get for a league game.  Then the matches themselves, which have all been good value, some have been titanic struggles (Roma at home is, despite everything, the game I would want on DVD at the end of the season if I could choose one), and all have had something different.  Even the likes of Amkar Perm looked tidy on the ball, showed us different ways to play the game, and highlighted just how predictable the otherwise thrilling premiership can be, tactically at least.  Basle looked good at the Cottage, CSKA gave us a 45 minute exhibition, and Roma, in the second half, were all over the place, in a good way.  They had a holding midfielder playing quarterback and at least three players in Peter Beardsley roles.  It was wonderful to see, and yeah they got that 12th round KO to ruin our fun, but it all worked out in the end and really, what is sport for if not immense drama?   Then there’s the away side:  I’ve heard about Basle being the best away day ever, I’ve seen friends photographed in front of the Coliseum, and there’s more to come, albeit in deepest, darkest Ukraine.  This sounds like a Fast Show monologue now, but never mind.  Then add the Smalling/Baird factor and everyone’s a winner.  Hurray for Europe!

The establishment of Clint Dempsey.  2009 has been Dempsey’s year.  In 2008 he showed signs, and towards the end of that year he became a regular, but 2009 has been lift off for our man.  He’s played well for the US in a high profile international tournament, has more appearances and more goals than any other Fulham player, and is now, surely, one of the first names on the teamsheet, one of the club’s core of good players.

The arrival of Damian Duff.  This we, all hoped, was another Danny Murphy:  a gifted player who had lost his way, possibly not entirely through his own doing.  So it proved.  In Murphy and now Duff we have two Champions League players in the side, and while they may lack that 5% that took them to the game’s very top, they still have the smarts and ability that make them better than most other players in the division.  Duff’s presence has a knock on effect throughout the team:  where last year our midfield was rigid and defensive, this year’s Duff/Dempsey combination, arrowing into the box, is having a wonderful impact on the centre-forwards and on our results.  Both Duff and Dempsey have scored regularly, but added immeasurably to the team’s attacking quality and variety.  Dempsey has improved massively and may end up the better player, but none of this would be happening without Duff, whose quality makes us a better team.   Few single players can do that.  What a signing.

The rehabilitation of Chris Baird.   By every account a very decent bloke who, as 2008 drew to a close, didn’t seem to have a great future with the club.  Sure, there was that Boxing Day game at White Hart Lane where Baird stepped in for Hangeland and led the defence to a clean sheet, but he’s gone from former right-back to reserve centre-back to utility player extraordinaire to holding midfielder in his own right.   And the thing is, he keeps getting better in this new, more demanding role.   Yeah, he’s worked hard, and yeah, he seems to have good leadership skills, but none of this matters if you can’t do the job on the pitch.  Well he is doing a job, and it’s currently his shirt to lose.  Baird’s rise makes me happy.

The legend of Diomansy Kamara.   It wouldn’t be Diomansy Kamara if he went on and became a regular and scored a few goals would it?  No, he had to arrive, be a hero, then disappear again for a bit.  Otherwise where’s the drama?   He will come again.   We can only dream about what he might do when he does.

Hoofs! In this time of super fast passing and moving, a part of me loves nothing more than a good old fashioned “‘ave it” clearance.  It is another of this team’s strengths that, Konchesky very occasionally excepted, we virtually never see silly goals conceded, or at least not like we used to.  Fulham players will do whatever they can to maintain possession, but if nothing’s on will happily hoof the ball miles into the sky.  I like this a lot, and it has been one of the best things about moving to a seat near the touchline:  booooof!

Billy the Badger’s bodyguard.  You’ve seen Billy walking around the pitch every game, right?   But you probably haven’t noticed the man who walks behind him, looking bemused, sometimes a little sad even, but always there and vigilant lest anyone should take a pop at our badger.   I assume that’s what he’s doing anyway.  But it’s always the same bloke and he always looks like he wishes he could be somewhere else.  Perhaps it is a punishment?   Perhaps he volunteered?   Perhaps he owns Billy?  Perhaps it’s just something to do on matchday.   We may never know.

Half-time shootouts.  They say sport reveals character, so what does the half-time shootout reveal about the dozen or so participants each week?   I think back and assume that, had I made it to the edge of the area (falling over my own boots on the way seems more likely), there’s no way I’d have the coolness to slot the ball into a corner.  No, I’d almost certainly just kick the ball as hard as I could which, being about nine, or whatever they are, wouldn’t be very hard, and would surely, surely result in me not scoring.  I’m positive of this.  In fact I’d probably have found an excuse not to take part beforehand.  I see this very clearly, see the person I was and the person I am, and realise that really nothing at all has changed.  What changes is my perception:  at 12 I felt okay; at 15 I looked back on my 12 year old self with pity;  and so on ad infinitum really.  So when you see Josh Fazackerly-Smyth race into the box in lime green boots, go round the keeper and do a cartwheel on the way back you know you’re looking at someone with a bright future, someone who will not know self-doubt, who will thrive! Then when you see Herbert Ferris awkwardly loping towards goal in too-short tracksuit bottoms, getting caught in two minds then flumping the ball hopelessly straight into the goalkeeper’s arms, then struggling, head down, back to his acquaintances in the centre-circle, that’s me! That’s the underdog, the wallflower, the one with so much to give but no idea how to give it.  Shit!  Where is all this going?  Better to avoid the situation in the first place, like I said…

The certainty of victory.  Long time readers will know that I could not attend the Manchester United game on March 21st.  But I knew we would win.  It wasn’t in doubt.  Soon the texts were coming in and we were ahead, and then time ran down and we were still ahead, more ahead, and I had known all along.  And this year we played them again and beat them again.  I would like to say that I had no doubt this time, but that would be untrue:  I have a betting slip that says “3-3, Hangeland first goal” on it by way of proof.   But the message nevertheless is that we need not fear anyone now.  Big scalps used to be very rare.  This season they are more common.  They will probably go back to being rare again soon.  But, to borrow from the phraseology of the day, “nobody can take these wins away from us”.  Indeed they can’t.  For a brief moment in time in 2009 Fulham fans feel that they are probably the luckiest fans in the world.   Who else can say that?  Barcelona fans might do.  But has any other team seen a perfect storm of good football, good results, good players, good ground and good manager, to the point where, reasonably speaking, none of the above could be much better, and all is about what we want them to be, who we want them to be?   The image of our better selves, really.  We can look up to this Fulham side, admire it, and want to be part of it.  We are a part of it in some ways, true…. and we can feel proud of that part.

The other blogs.  I don’t go to TiFF much anymore, but Friends of Fulham seems a fine forum, and it’s great to see Dan and Timmy writing regularly (although sad to see Chopper taking a break).   The club seems to have set up something called Cottage Corner where fans are encouraged to start blogs, write match reports, etc.  I’m quite proud of the fact that there are at least three websites where all this is done well already, and has been done for quite some time, too.  There’s good people in these small corners of the internet, and I hope everyone writing about Fulham keeps it up in 2010.  It’s hard work but worth the effort, I think.  Good work, chaps.

I have gone on long enough.  My sister has just put Ice Age 3 on the TV.  My glass is empty (literally – my metaphorical one is half full).  It is time to return to the lounge and enjoy Christmas with the family (Dad is already 1-0-0 up at Cluedo).  As you know, it’s been a bastard of a year for us, but everyone’s smiling and, well, anyway.  2009, as I have attempted to convince myself, had a lot going for it, but here’s hoping 2010 is better.

Thanks for reading, commenting, and everything.  Have a great Christmas and New Year, and see you around in 2010.

He he he he he he….