Fulham: Team of the Decade

After Brede Hangeland was crowned your “Player of the Decade”, we started thinking: Who would join the big Norwegian be in a Fulham team of the decade? Could you possibly fit Roy’s Europa heroes, Slav’s Wembley winners, and even some of Jol’s entertainers into one XI? Well, the Fulhamish guys have given it a go. What do you think? Who would be in your team? Let us know!

Sammy James

My team, as you’d expect, is a hybrid of the Europa and promotion winning team. In attack, I’ve chosen Mitro and Gera, who I would have loved to have seen play together. At the other end of the pitch, it’s no surprises I’ve mainly picked Roy’s Europa team. I’ve never felt so confident defensively as I have with the Hangeland, Hughes and Schwarzer rearguard at the back.

Manager of the Decade: Slavisa Jokanovic

Player of the Decade: Brede Hangeland. Obvious choice, but the bloke is a man mountain. Fulham’s fortunes all changed the day he arrived.

Jack Collins

The one that will raise eyebrows is Ross McCormack, but it’s easy to forget in the maelstrom of his departure that without Ross, we would have been in League One. Sess slots in at left back, because despite all the ‘not a left back’ calls, he scored and created almost as many goals for us from the No. 3 slot as he did from the left wing, and we’re hardly blessed with a glut of options there this decade. Player of the decade Mousa Dembele anchors the midfield, and is good enough to cover the two in front of him, whilst those two wingers playing inverted off of Mitrovic would have been an absolute delight to watch.

Manager of the Decade: Roy Hodgson

Player of the Decade: Mousa Dembele. Potentially Fulham’s best ever technical player – a joy to watch and a special talent – Dembele was the player we all needed, and whom we never replaced.

George Singer

The side is mostly what you’d expect, however with a couple of (perhaps rogue) choices from Jol’s era – arguably the best football we played in the decade. Bairdinho will anchor the midfield, with Diarra feeding an abundance of flair in attack. This side may concede a few, but if we score one more does it really matter?

Manager of the Decade: Roy Hodgson

Player of the Decade: Mousa Dembele. Quite simply, the best player to have put on a Fulham shirt this decade. A joy to watch.

Dom Betts

You simply have to include majority of the Europa League final side and Dembele, because we won’t see these days that good again. Whilst Cairney scored at Wembley, there’s no way he should be in the side over the likes of Dembele & Murphy. The only Championship players that deserver to be in the side are Sessegnon & Mitrovic, as they’re the only ones who’ve had a big influence on us.

Manager of the Decade: Roy Hodgson

Player of the Decade: Mousa Dembele. Although I have much more of an affinity to the likes of Simon Davies & Danny Murphy. I don’t think it can be underestimated how good Dembele was.

Farrell Monk

Having the technically gifted and ultra-mobile Dembélé at the pivot in my side, with his unreal dribbling abilities, negates the need for a deep-lying playmaker and/or traditional anchor. This will allow my forwards to work in-front of and between lines, playing off the expert focal point striker Zamora. Having Dempsey at left wing, where we saw his best performances, means Sessegnon drops to wing back, where he was probably our best option in that specifically dynamic role. 

Manager of the Decade: Roy Hodgson

Player of the Decade: Mousa Dembele. Mousa is not only the best player of this decade, but probably many decades previously.

Ben Jarman

This team has it all; the solidity of the Thames Barrier, the ball playing of Ream, and some of the best attacking players we have seen in a Fulham shirt. The link up between Dembele and Cairney will set pulses racing, and the mind wanders to the goals Mitro could score with Duffer providing those famous cut-backs. The best of both worlds; Europa League Finalists and Play-Off Winners who could run any team close on their day. 

Manager of the Decade: Roy Hodgson

Player of the Decade: Mousa Dembele. Dembele was on another planet to any player in a White shirt during the 2010’s – his was technically brilliant and glided across a pitch in a manner that has been matched by none.

Drew Heatley

Five of these players (Dempsey, Hangeland, Hughes, Murphy and Schwarzer) all made more than 200 appearances for the club. Baird would do anything to help the team, and he enjoyed playing RB so he’s in – while putting Sess at LB was the only way to get him in (plus we’ve not been blessed in that position). Dembele’s pure talent means he has to be picked, and Cairney gave us Wembley so he’s never being left out. Mitro’s our sixth-highest scorer of the decade, despite only being here for two years, so he gets the nod up front.

Manager of the Decade: Roy Hodgson

Player of the Decade: Alexsander Mitrovic. He’s not put a foot wrong in his time here – a man who loves this club and who knows how to stick it in the onion bag. 

George Cooper

What a team, if I do say so myself. A risqué balls-out 4-1-4-1 formation, with Dembele pulling the strings from deep and Gera/Dempsey taking it in turns to push forward and support Mitro. Sess taps the badge after every successful pass and Gera does a somersault after every goal, regardless of who scores it.

Manager of the Decade: Roy Hodgson

Player of the Decade: Mousa Dembele. The best player I’ve seen in a Fulham shirt.

Jack Kelly

The silky dribbler that was Dembele combined with the box-to-box shithousery of Stef Jo make a mean partnership in midfield. Kasami and Dejagah are no brainers for me – Fulham heroes in my eyes.

Manager of the Decade: Roy Hodgson

Player of the Decade: Brede Hangeland. Warrior on the pitch, gent off the pitch.

Cam Ramsey

Imagine this lot week in, week out. This squad of ballers would romp the Championship and would have finished 7th in the Premier League every single year.

Manager of the Decade: Slavisa Jokanovic

Player of the Decade: Zoltan Gera. The main reason why I swapped mercurials for mundials back in the day

Guy Barlow

A mixture of sentimental picks (Odoi), and logical, yet not neccessarily heartfelt choices (Dempsey), this team has goals written all over it. The original Dembele is, for me, one of the best Fulham players ever, whilst Murphy (captain and penalty-taker) will anchor the midfield. Europa League legends + promotion winners = my team of the decade.

Manager of the Decade: Slavisa Jokanovic

Player of the Decade: Ryan Sessegnon. Universally loved by Fulham fans, we will all look back at the 2010s as the beginning of the career of a future World Cup winner.

Joe Sansom

A mixture of Europa League and Wembley heroes. Struggled with fullbacks but a solid defence, strong midfield and pace on the wings providing service to the man on fire.

Manager of the Decade: Roy Hodgson

Player of the Decade: Mousa Dembele. My favourite ever player to watch. Rolls royce of a midfielder.

Tim Clarke

For most positions, there were several good choices (except goalkeeper, where Schwarzer was the only choice). I struggled, however, with choosing fullbacks, and had to name Sess there (even though he’s not a left back). Freddo’s inclusion owes more to him playing more recently rather than him being the best RB this decade. 

Manager of the Decade: Roy Hodgson

Player of the Decade: Brede Hangeland. The things I’d do for a strong CB marshalling a defense at this point…

Joe Johnson

I think it says a lot that I can’t find a CB from the last decade that is fit enough to tie the laces of Aaron Hughes, let alone Hangeland’s. Some of these players in their prime were astounding for the club and although the way Zamora exited the club left me with a sour taste, I still think he is our best striker of the decade.

Manager of the Decade: Roy Hodgson

Player of the Decade: Clint Dempsey. I want that chip against Juve played at my funeral, iconic.