Fulham have enjoyed a remarkable rise to the top tier of English football. As the Premier League kicked off in 1992, Fulham were simply hoping to avoid relegation to the Third Division. Three years later, the Craven Cottage club was in danger of falling off the footballing map altogether - but those days seem like a distant memory now. Flamboyant chairman Mohamed Al Fayed dreamt of Fulham winning the Premier League and invested heavily in pursuit of his ambition. After cruising to the First Division title in 2001, Al Fayed's expensively-assembled team was able to stand toe to toe with England's finest club sides. Fulham kicked off the new season at Manchester United and showed they belonged in the top division with some sparkling football, despite a 3-2 defeat. Following three seasons of consolidation and improvement in the Premier League, ambitions were shifted to the higher reaches of the table, with a top-half finish seen as the benchmark for success these days. The club parted company with French coach Jean Tigana in April 2003, with Al Fayed's dream of challenging for the title now in the hands of Chris Coleman, who guided the club to ninth in the table in 2003/04. The Cottagers finished 13th in 2004/2005 and the following campaign recorded 13 home wins on their way to 12th spot.

Formed by a group of church-goers in 1879, the name Fulham was adopted in 1888 and the club had various home addresses before settling in at their current Craven Cottage base in 1896. The Cottagers entered the Football League in 1907 and had to wait over 40 years before securing their top-flight place, spending three seasons in Division One before a return the Second Division. Their second spell in the First Division was more successful. Talisman Johnny Haynes, who made 594 league appearances for the club between 1952 and 1970 and earned 56 England caps, helped Fulham survive at the top for the majority of the 1960s. Legendary figures Bobby Moore, George Best and Rodney Marsh were signed by the club in the mid-1970s, but even though their combined talents could not bring about a return to the main stage Fulham soon gained a worthy reputation for their attractive style of play. The 1980s and 1990s proved testing and Fulham's league status was threatened before new chairman Mohamed Al Fayed financed a staggering revival. The Harrods owner's dreams came true in 2001 when Fulham took the First Division by storm to secure promotion to the Premier League.