Fulham Review

Edgar Davids Joined : 06 Jun 2007 Posts : 3552

Guardian Unlimited writers' prediction: 16th Odds: 3000-1

When it comes to assessing Fulham's prospects this season, we're all guessers and potential fools. They've had a decent pre-season, and at a recent press open day the mood in the camp seemed far more upbeat than it was a year ago, but predicting how a newly embedded manager - unproven at Premiership level - will do with a squad that hasn't just had a facelift but a multi-organ transplant is devilishly tricky. They could just as easily finish 10th as 18th.

Even so, Fulham supporters are probably right to be optimistic. Last summer, the Cottagers spent just £4.2m; this time around it's been £20m-plus. The players who've been brought in - mostly a mixture of Premiership old-timers and bright young things - might not quicken the pulse like a foreign fancyboy whose every goal in the Chilean first division is downloaded in fuzzyvision on to YouTube, but they won't need time to adapt to English football either.

That said, many of Fulham's signings have questions to answer, points to prove. Diomansy Kamara is pacy and direct but his scoring record - 25 goals in 72 games in English football - is nothing to write home about, especially for a £6m striker. Steven Davis was Aston Villa's player of the year under David O'Leary but slipped a little last season and didn't seem to be trusted by Martin O'Neill. Lee Cook danced through Championship defences for QPR, but won't find it so easy at a higher level. David Healy has thumped in 25 goals in 53 games for Northern Ireland but averages just one in four in English league football.

But even if the new boys don't all fire, there is surely enough quality in Fulham's squad to avoid the drop. The underrated Alexei Smertin has starred in pre-season, with Clint Dempsey not far behind, while that old warhorse Brian McBride will continue to grind away, grabbing goals and irritating the hell out of opposition defenders. If Papa Bouba Diop - who looked a monster in midfield before falling out with Chris Coleman - returns to something like his best form, and Jimmy Bullard gets back to full fitness, Fulham's midfield won't lack for fire or spite. Even the most obvious area of concern, central defence, has been addressed with the signings of Chris Baird, Southampton's player of the season, and Aaron Hughes.

The big unknown, of course, is just how well Lawrie Sanchez will adapt to life in the Premiership. Last season he won just one of his five games in charge at Fulham but managed, just, to keep them up. But the signs from the summer are good; training has been harder and more focused, the players complimentary about his methods. Anyone with the spunk and ingenuity to take Northern Ireland to within sniffing distance of a major championship deserves respect. You can bet your life that Sanchez's team will be scrapping for every tackle, every second ball, every point, ensuring they earn it from other teams too.

In: Chris Baird (£3.025m - Southampton), Lee Cook (£2.5m - QPR), Steven Davis (£4m - Aston Villa), David Healy (£1.5m - Leeds), Aaron Hughes (£1m - Aston Villa), Diomansy Kamara (£6m - West Brom), Paul Konchesky (£2m - West Ham).

Out: Mark Crossley (free - Oldham), Claus Jensen (released), Mark Pembridge (released), Tomasz Radzinski (released), Heidar Helguson (undisclosed - Bolton), Michael Brown (undisclosed - Wigan).