2003–04 Fulham F.C. season

Fulham F.C.
2003–04 season
ChairmanMohamed Al-Fayed
ManagerChris Coleman
Premier League9th
FA CupQuarter-finals
League CupSecond round
Top goalscorerLeague: Louis Saha (13)
All: Louis Saha (15)
Highest home attendance25,357 (vs. Chelsea, 1 January 2004)
Lowest home attendance10,500 (vs. Bolton, 26 September 2003)

The 2003–04 season was Fulham's third consecutive season in the top league of English football, the Barclaycard Premiership. The club was managed by former player Chris Coleman, who replaced Jean Tigana at the end of the 2002–03 season.

Fulham were near the top of the table after the first few months of the season after a great start to the campaign and consistently remained in the top half throughout the course of the season. They ended up finishing in ninth position, only four points behind fifth-placed Newcastle United. It was a great debut season for Chris Coleman as manager, particularly as the club had to cope for half of the season without top goalscorer, Louis Saha, who left for Manchester United.

Kit and sponsorship

Fulham's last deal with kit supplier Adidas came to an end on 11 May 2003. It was announced on June that dabs.com would be the kits sponsor in a two-year agreement. On June it was announced the new kit would be produced by Puma.

Players

First-team squad

Squad at end of season[1]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Netherlands NED Edwin van der Sar
2 DF Germany GER Moritz Volz
3 DF England ENG Jon Harley
5 DF France FRA Sylvain Legwinski
6 MF Japan JPN Junichi Inamoto
7 MF Wales WAL Mark Pembridge
8 FW United States USA Brian McBride
9 FW Argentina ARG Facundo Sava
10 MF England ENG Lee Clark (captain)
11 FW Portugal POR Luís Boa Morte
12 GK Wales WAL Mark Crossley[notes 1]
14 MF France FRA Steed Malbranque[notes 2]
15 FW Jamaica JAM Barry Hayles[notes 3]
16 DF England ENG Zat Knight
No. Pos. Nation Player
17 DF France FRA Martin Djetou[notes 4]
18 DF France FRA Jérôme Bonnissel
22 DF England ENG Dean Leacock
23 MF England ENG Sean Davis
24 DF France FRA Alain Goma
25 DF England ENG Malik Buari[notes 5]
26 MF Netherlands NED Bobby Petta (on loan from Celtic)
27 FW Latvia LVA Andrejs Štolcers
28 DF England ENG Zesh Rehman[notes 6]
30 DF England ENG Adam Green
31 MF England ENG Darren Pratley
34 DF United States USA Carlos Bocanegra
35 DF England ENG Ian Pearce
36 FW Netherlands NED Collins John[notes 7]

Left club during season

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
4 DF Wales WAL Andy Melville (to West Ham United)
7 FW France FRA Steve Marlet (on loan to Marseille)
8 FW France FRA Louis Saha (to Manchester United)
No. Pos. Nation Player
26 FW Saint Kitts and Nevis SKN Calum Willock[notes 8] (to Peterborough United)
— GK Northern Ireland NIR Maik Taylor[notes 9] (to Birmingham City)

Reserve squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
13 GK England ENG Ross Flitney
19 FW Ghana GHA Elvis Hammond
20 DF England ENG Mark Hudson
21 GK England ENG Dave Beasant
No. Pos. Nation Player
29 MF England ENG Sean Doherty
32 MF England ENG Tom Davis
33 FW Scotland SCO Stuart Noble
37 DF England ENG Liam Rosenior

Statistics

Appearances and goals

No. Pos Nat Player Total Premier League FA Cup League Cup
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Goalkeepers
1 GK Netherlands NED Edwin van der Sar 43 0 37 0 6 0 0 0
12 GK Wales WAL Mark Crossley 2 0 1 0 0 0 1 0
Defenders
2 DF Germany GER Moritz Volz 38 0 32+1 0 5 0 0 0
3 DF England ENG Jon Harley 4 0 3+1 0 0 0 0 0
16 DF England ENG Zat Knight 37 0 30+1 0 5+1 0 0 0
17 DF France FRA Martin Djetou 31 0 19+7 0 4 0 1 0
18 DF France FRA Jérôme Bonnissel 16 0 16 0 0 0 0 0
22 DF England ENG Dean Leacock 5 0 3+1 0 0 0 1 0
24 DF France FRA Alain Goma 29 0 23 0 6 0 0 0
28 DF England ENG Zesh Rehman 2 0 0+1 0 0 0 0+1 0
30 DF England ENG Adam Green 7 0 4 0 2 0 1 0
34 DF United States USA Carlos Bocanegra 19 0 15 0 4 0 0 0
35 DF England ENG Ian Pearce 13 0 12+1 0 0 0 0 0
Midfielders
5 MF France FRA Sylvain Legwinski 37 0 30+2 0 4 0 1 0
6 MF Japan JPN Junichi Inamoto 25 3 15+7 2 2 1 1 0
7 MF Wales WAL Mark Pembridge 15 1 9+3 1 0+2 0 1 0
10 MF England ENG Lee Clark 27 2 25 2 2 0 0 0
14 MF France FRA Steed Malbranque 44 8 38 6 6 2 0 0
23 MF England ENG Sean Davis 30 6 22+2 5 6 1 0 0
25 MF England ENG Malik Buari 4 0 1+2 0 0 0 1 0
26 MF Netherlands NED Bobby Petta 14 0 3+6 0 2+3 0 0 0
27 MF Latvia LVA Andrejs Štolcers 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
31 MF England ENG Darren Pratley 2 0 0+1 0 0 0 0+1 0
Forwards
8 FW United States USA Brian McBride 19 5 5+11 4 3 1 0 0
9 FW Argentina ARG Facundo Sava 9 1 0+6 1 0+2 0 1 0
11 FW Portugal POR Luís Boa Morte 39 10 32+1 9 5 1 0+1 0
15 FW Jamaica JAM Barry Hayles 32 5 10+16 4 3+3 1 0 0
36 FW Netherlands NED Collins John 8 4 3+5 4 0 0 0 0
Players transferred out during the season
4 DF Wales WAL Andy Melville 11 0 9 0 0+1 0 1 0
7 FW France FRA Steve Marlet 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0
8 FW France FRA Louis Saha 22 15 20+1 13 1 2 0 0

Last updated: 31 June 2004
Source: Competitions

Starting 11

Considering starts in all competitions[2]
Considering a 4-4-2 formation[3]

Transfers

Summer

In

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
— GK England ENG Dave Beasant (from Brighton & Hove Albion – free)
— DF France FRA Jérôme Bonnissel (from Rangers – free)
— DF Germany GER Moritz Volz (on 4 month loan from Arsenal)
No. Pos. Nation Player
— GK Wales WAL Mark Crossley (from Middlesbrough – £500,000)
— MF Wales WAL Mark Pembridge (from Everton – undisclosed)
— DF England ENG Liam Rosenior (from Bristol City – undisclosed)

Out

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
— MF Scotland SCO John Collins (retired)
— FW England ENG Luke Cornwall (released)
— MF Denmark DEN Bjarne Goldbæk (released)
— DF Republic of Ireland IRL Steve Finnan (to Liverpool – undisclosed)
— GK Argentina ARG Martín Herrera (on season-long loan to Estudiantes La Plata)
— DF Morocco MAR Abdeslam Ouaddou (on season-long loan to Rennes)
No. Pos. Nation Player
— GK Northern Ireland NIR Maik Taylor (on season-long loan to Birmingham City)
— FW Ghana GHA Elvis Hammond (on month-long loan to Norwich City)
— DF England ENG Mark Hudson (on month-long loan to Oldham Athletic)
— FW France FRA Steve Marlet (on season-long loan to Marseille)
— DF England ENG Jon Harley (on month-long loan to Sheffield United)

January

In

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
— MF Netherlands NED Bobby Petta (on loan from Celtic for season)
— DF United States USA Carlos Bocanegra (from Chicago Fire – free)
— DF Germany GER Moritz Volz (from Arsenal – undisclosed)
No. Pos. Nation Player
— DF England ENG Ian Pearce (from West Ham United – undisclosed)
— FW United States USA Brian McBride (from Columbus Crew – free)
— FW Netherlands NED Collins John (from Twente – undisclosed)

Out

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
— DF England ENG Mark Hudson (on three-month-long loan to Crystal Palace)
— DF England ENG Jon Harley (on three-month loan to West Ham United)
— DF Wales WAL Andy Melville (to West Ham United – nominal)
No. Pos. Nation Player
— FW France FRA Louis Saha (to Manchester United – £12,820,000)
— GK Northern Ireland NIR Maik Taylor (to Birmingham City – £1,500,000)

Club

Management

Position Staff
Manager Wales Chris Coleman
Assistant manager Scotland Steve Kean
Goalkeeping coach England Dave Beasant
Head of Youth Development England John Murtough
Secretary England Mark Maunders

Source: Fulham FC

Other information

Chairman Egypt Mohamed Al Fayed
Ground (capacity and dimensions) Loftus Road (19,148 / 112x72 yards)

Source: Fulham article on 15 August 2007

Competitions

Main article: 2003–04 FA Premier League

Premier League

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
7 Charlton Athletic 38 14 11 13 51 51 0 53
8 Bolton Wanderers 38 14 11 13 48 56 −8 53
9 Fulham 38 14 10 14 52 46 +6 52
10 Birmingham City 38 12 14 12 43 48 −5 50
11 Middlesbrough 38 13 9 16 44 52 −8 48 Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round[a]
Source: Premier League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Notes:
  1. ^ Middlesbrough qualified as the 2003–04 Football League Cup winners.

Season statistics

Total Goals: 1012
Average Goals per game: 2.66

Matches

Pre-season friendlies

12 July 2003 Torquay United 1–4 Fulham Plainmoor, Torquay
Gritton 32' Report Buari 23'
Sava 55'
Saha 69', 76'		 Attendance: 1 896
17 July 2003 Fulham 1–2 Celtic Loftus Road, Fulham, London
Sava 59' Report Petrov 8'
Larsson 12'		 Attendance: 14 247
23 July 2003 ASK Voitsberg 1–4 Fulham Stadium Sportscentre Voitsberg, Voitsberg
Walther Eccher 73' (pen.) Report Sava 8'
Marlet 24'
Hammond 36'
Saha 68' (pen)		 Attendance: 400
26 July 2003 Roma 2–1 Fulham Franz Fekete Stadium, Kapfenberg
Cassano 26'
Bombardini 88'		 Report Saha 27' Attendance: 4 000
2 August 2003 Motherwell 2–2 Fulham Fir Park, Motherwell
Burns 40' (pen.), 89' Report Saha 18'
Marlet 60'		 Referee: Eddie Mack
5 August 2003 Livingston 2–0 Fulham Almondvale Stadium, Livingston
Pasquinelli 23', 31' Report Attendance: 2 846
Referee: John Underhill
10 August 2003 Fulham 2–1 Mallorca Loftus Road, London
Boa Morte 32'
Malbranque 65'		 Report Eto'o 12' Attendance: 2,489
Referee: Paul Durkin

Results

[4]

Premier League

16 August 2003 (2003-08-16) 1 Fulham 3–2 Middlesbrough White City, London
15:00 BST Marlet 81'
Inamoto 56'
Saha 70'		 Report Marinelli 10'
Nemeth 81'		 Stadium: Loftus Road
Attendance: 14,546
Referee: Graham Poll
23 August 2003 (2003-08-23) 2 Everton 3–1 Fulham Liverpool, Merseyside
15:00 BST Naysmith 7'
Unsworth 20' Watson 35'		 Report Hayles 69' Stadium: Goodison Park
Attendance: 37,604
Referee: Neale Barry
30 August 2003 (2003-08-30) 3 Tottenham Hotspur 0–3 Fulham Tottenham, London
15:00 BST Report Hayles 23', 67'
Boa Morte 71'		 Stadium: White Hart Lane
Attendance: 33,421
Referee: Jeff Winter
14 September 2003 (2003-09-14) 4 Birmingham City 2–2 Fulham Birmingham, West Midlands
16:05 BST Mikael Forssell 45', 82'
Purse Red card 82'		 Report Saha 1'
Boa Morte 78'
Legwinski Red card 60'		 Stadium: St. Andrews
Attendance: 27,250
Referee: Steve Dunn
20 September 2003 (2003-09-20) 5 Fulham 2-2 Manchester City White City, London
15:00 BST Malbranque 73'
Saha 79'		 Report Knight 31' (o.g.)
Wanchope 90+3'		 Stadium: Loftus Road
Attendance: 16,124
Referee: Phil Dowd
28 September 2003 (2003-09-28) 6 Blackburn Rovers 0–2 Fulham Blackburn, Lancashire
12:00 BST Report Boa Morte 5'
Saha 56'		 Stadium: Ewood Park
Attendance: 21,985
Referee: Matt Messias
4 October 2003 (2003-10-04) 7 Fulham 2–0 Leicester City White City, London
15:00 BST Boa Morte 36', 73' Report Stadium: Loftus Road
Attendance: 14,612
Referee: Chris Foy
18 October 2003 (2003-10-18) 8 Fulham 0–0 Wolverhampton Wanderers White City, London
15:00 BST Report Stadium: Loftus Road
Attendance: 17,031
Referee: Howard Webb
21 October 2003 (2003-10-21) 9 Fulham 2–3 Newcastle United White City, London
19:45 BST Clark 6'
Saha 8'		 Report Robert 16'
Shearer 51 pen.', 56'		 Stadium: Loftus Road
Attendance: 15,241
Referee: Barry Knight
25 October 2003 (2003-10-25) 10 Manchester United 1–3 Fulham Manchester, Greater Manchester
Forlan 45+2' Report Clark 3'
Malbranque 66'
Inamoto 79'		 Stadium: Old Trafford
Attendance: 67,727
Referee: Mike Riley
2 November 2003 (2003-11-02) 11 Fulham 1–2 Liverpool White City, London
Saha 43'
Boa Morte Red card 90'		 Report Heskey 17'
Murphy 89 pen.'		 Stadium: Loftus Road
Attendance: 17,682
Referee: Rob Styles
8 November 2003 (2003-11-08) 12 Charlton Athletic 3–1 Fulham Charlton, London
Stuart 10'
Johansson 69', 76'		 Report Davis 89' Stadium: The Valley
Attendance: 26,285
Referee: Andy D'Urso
24 November 2003 (2003-11-24) 13 Fulham 2–0 Portsmouth White City, London
Saha 30', 33' Report Berger Red card 82' Stadium: Loftus Road
Attendance: 15,624
Referee: Alan Wiley
30 November 2003 (2003-11-30) 14 Arsenal 0–0 Fulham Highbury, London
Report Stadium: Highbury
Attendance: 38,063
Referee: Graham Barber
6 December 2003 (2003-12-06) 15 Fulham 2–1 Bolton Wanderers White City, London
Davis 75'
Sava 76'		 Report Davies 53' Stadium: Loftus Road
Attendance: 14,393
Referee: Andy D'Urso
14 December 2003 (2003-12-14) 16 Leeds United 3–2 Fulham Leeds, West Yorkshire
Duberry 41'
Viduka 46'
Matteo 88'		 Report Saha 47', 85' Stadium: Elland Road
Attendance: 30,544
Referee: Neale Barry
20 December 2003 (2003-12-20) 17 Fulham 0–1 Chelsea White City, London
Report Crespo 62' Stadium: Loftus Road
Attendance: 18,431
Referee: Mike Riley
20 December 2003 (2003-12-20) 18 Fulham 2–0 Southampton White City, London
Saha 19', 62 pen.' Report Stadium: Loftus Road
Attendance: 15,640
Referee: Dermot Gallagher
28 December 2003 (2003-12-28) 19 Aston Villa 3–0 Fulham Birmingham, West Midlands
Angel 32'
Vassell 67', 82'		 Report Stadium: Villa Park
Attendance: 35,617
Referee: Barry Knight
7 January 2004 (2004-01-07) 20 Middlesbrough 2–1 Fulham Middlesbrough North Yorkshire
Job 14'
Nemeth 67'		 Report Hayles 90+2' Stadium: Riverside Stadium
Attendance: 27,869
Referee: Paul Durkin
10 January 2004 (2004-01-10) 21 Fulham 2–1 Everton White City, London, London
Saha 45 pen.'
Malbranque 46'		 Report Kilbane 81' Stadium: Loftus Road
Attendance: 17,308
Referee: Graham Poll
19 January 2004 (2004-01-19) 22 Newcastle United 3–1 Fulham Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear
O'Brien 4'
Speed 41'
Robert 54'		 Report Davis 74' Stadium: St James' Park
Attendance: 50,104
Referee: Neale Barry
31 January 2004 (2004-01-31) 23 Fulham 2–1 Tottenham Hotspur White City, London
Malbranque 45+2 pen.'
McBride 66'		 Report Keane 18 pen.' Stadium: Loftus Road
Attendance: 17,024
Referee: Matt Messias
7 February 2004 (2004-02-07) 24 Southampton 0–0 Fulham Southampton, Hampshire
Report Stadium: St Mary's
Attendance: 31,820
Referee: Andy D'Urso
11 February 2004 (2004-02-11) 25 Fulham 1–2 Aston Villa White City, London
Boa Morte 1'
Bocanegra Red card 74'		 Report Angel 13' Stadium: Loftus Road
Attendance: 16,153
Referee: Barry Knight
21 February 2004 (2004-02-21) 26 Wolverhampton Wanderers 2–1 Fulham Wolverhampton, West Midlands
Ince 20'
Cort 51'		 Report Malbranque 83' Stadium: Molineux
Attendance: 28,424
Referee: Howard Webb
28 February 2004 (2004-02-28) 27 Fulham 1–1 Manchester United White City, London
Boa Morte 64' Report Saha 14' Stadium: Loftus Road
Attendance: 18,306
Referee: Alan Wiley
13 March 2004 (2004-03-13) 28 Fulham 2–0 Leeds United White City, London
Davis 71'
Boa Morte 83'		 Report Stadium: Loftus Road
Attendance: 17,104
Referee: Steve Dunn
20 March 2004 (2004-03-20) 29 Chelsea 2–1 Fulham Fulham, London
Gudjohnsen 7'
Duff 30'		 Report Pembridge 18' Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Attendance: 41,459
Referee: Neale Barry
27 March 2004 (2004-03-27) 30 Manchester City 0–0 Fulham Manchester, Greater Manchester
Report Stadium: City of Manchester Stadium
Attendance: 46,522
Referee: Jeff Winter
3 April 2004 (2004-04-03) 31 Fulham 0–0 Birmingham City White City, London
Report Stadium: Loftus Road
Attendance: 14,667
Referee: Mike Riley
10 April 2004 (2004-04-10) 32 Leicester City 0–2 Fulham Leicester, Leicestershire
Report John 65' (89) Stadium: Walkers Stadium
Attendance: 28,392
Referee: Peter Walton
12 April 2004 (2004-04-12) 33 Fulham 3–4 Blackburn Rovers White City, London
John 26', 45+2'
Boa Morte 60'		 Report Cole 23'
Douglas 48'
Amoruso 51'
Stead 74'		 Stadium: Loftus Road
Attendance: 13,981
Referee: Steve Bennett
17 April 2004 (2004-04-17) 34 Liverpool 0–0 Fulham Liverpool, Merseyside
Report Stadium: Anfield
Attendance: 42,042
Referee: Steve Bennett
24 April 2004 (2004-04-24) 35 Fulham 2–0 Charlton Athletic White City, London
Malbranque 18 pen.'
Davis 64'		 Report Stadium: Loftus Road
Attendance: 16,585
Referee: Matt Messias
1 May 2004 (2004-05-01) 36 Portsmouth 1–1 Fulham Portsmouth, Hampshire
Yakubu 80' Report McBride 84' Stadium: Fratton Park
Attendance: 20,056
Referee: Steve Dunn
9 May 2004 (2004-05-09) 37 Fulham 0–1 Arsenal White City, London
Report Reyes 9' Stadium: Loftus Road
Attendance: 18,102
Referee: Mike Dean
15 May 2004 (2004-05-15) 38 Bolton Wanderers 0–2 Fulham Bolton, Lancashire
Report McBride 44', 78' Stadium: Reebok Stadium
Attendance: 27,383
Referee: Graham Barber

League Cup

23 September 2003 (2003-09-23) 2nd Round Wigan Athletic 1–0 Fulham Wigan, Lancashire
Ellington 73' Report Stadium: JJB Stadium
Attendance: 4,874
Referee: Alan Kaye

FA Cup

4 January 2004 (2004-01-04) 3rd Round Fulham 2–1 Cheltenham Town White City, London
Saha 13', 90' Report McCann 5' Stadium: Loftus Road
Attendance: 10,303
Referee: Peter Walton
25 January 2004 (2004-01-25) 4th Round Everton 1–1 Fulham Liverpool, Merseyside
Jeffers 90' Report Davis 49' Stadium: Goodison Park
Attendance: 27,862
Referee: Dermot Gallagher
4 February 2004 (2004-02-04) 4th Round Replay Fulham 2–1 Everton White City, London
Inamoto 57'
Malbranque 102'		 Report Jeffers 90' Stadium: Loftus Road
Attendance: 11,551
Referee: Paul Durkin
14 February 2004 (2004-02-14) 5th Round Fulham 0–0 West Ham United White City, London
Report Stadium: Loftus Road
Attendance: 14,705
Referee: Graham Poll
24 February 2004 (2004-02-24) 5th Round Replay West Ham United 0–3 Fulham Upton Park, London
Report McBride 76'
Hayles 79'
Boa Morte 90'		 Stadium: Upton Park
Attendance: 27,934
Referee: Mike Riley
6 March 2004 (2004-03-06) Quarter Final Manchester United 2–1 Fulham Manchester, Greater Manchester
Van Nistelrooy 25', 62' Report Malbranque 23 pen.' Stadium: Old Trafford
Attendance: 67,614
Referee: Rob Styles

References

  1. ^ "FootballSquads - Fulham - 2003/04".
  2. ^ "All Fulham players: 2004".
  3. ^ "Fulham in FA Premier League 2003/2004 fixture".
  4. ^ "Fulham match record: 2004".

Notes

  1. ^ Crossley was born in Barnsley, England and represented them at U-21 level, but qualified to represent Wales internationally through his parents and made his international debut for Wales in February 1997.
  2. ^ Malbranque was born in Mouscron, Belgium, but also qualified to represent France internationally, and represented them at U-21 level before being called up by France in February 2004 without playing.
  3. ^ Hayles was born in Lambeth, England, but also qualified to represent Jamaica internationally and made his international debut for Jamaica in June 2001, having previously represented the Cayman Islands internationally despite being ineligible to do so.
  4. ^ Djetou was born in Brogohlo, Ivory Coast, but was raised in France and made his international debut for France in 1996.
  5. ^ Buari was born in Accra, Ghana, but also qualified to represent England internationally and represented them at U-15 and U-16 level.
  6. ^ Rehman was born in Birmingham, England and represented them at U-18, U-19 and U-20 level, but qualified to represent Pakistan internationally through his parents and would make his international debut for Pakistan in December 2005.
  7. ^ John was born in Zwedru, Liberia, but also qualified to represent the Netherlands internationally and made his international debut for the Netherlands in August 2004.
  8. ^ Willock was born in Lambeth, England, but also qualified to represent Saint Kitts and Nevis internationally and made his international debut for Saint Kitts and Nevis in 2004.
  9. ^ Taylor was born in Hildesheim, West Germany (now Germany), but qualified to represent any of the home nations internationally as he holds a British passport, and made his international debut for Northern Ireland in March 1999.