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Long Road Ahead for the Cottagers | 
There is absolutely no doubt that Fulham’s gritty displays of late are deserving of their newfound reputation as the people’s club in the Premier League. The masses can relate to their mid-sized squad and down-to-earth players while tourists from all over the world simply cannot resist the amazing atmosphere at the conveniently located Craven Cottage. With their fan base growing at a faster rate than ever before, the Cottagers couldn’t have asked for a better time to qualify for European football than last season.
With the expertise of former Inter Milan boss Roy Hodgson at the helm of affairs, Fulham F.C. is now looking at a season where it will be competing for honors on four different fronts. Aside from the very achievable Cup double, the West London outfit will also remain focused on the Premier League as they chase another lucrative finish for European qualification.
Given the extremely intensified level of competition on the domestic level, however, I feel that Hodgson’s men should ambitiously pursue the Europa League title itself. Not only will this allow them to create history by becoming the first ever winners of the revamped UEFA Cup, but the hardworking bunch of lads at the club will also be allowed to defend the title regardless of where they finish in the Premier League.
Of course, following their 2-1 victory over Everton this past weekend, Fulham fans will be in no mood to listen to me as I urge them to put greater emphasis on European matters. But at some point, the Cottagers will certainly have to make the choice between a primary focus on either of the two competitions. Practically speaking, their opponents on both fronts are way too tough to be dealt with simultaneously. And in my opinion, despite the unfamiliarity of the opposition teams in the Europa League, chances of success are far greater.
As the only other English representative besides Everton, they will certainly be driven to begin the journey with an impressive set of displays starting in Bulgaria tonight. It is clear that CSKA Sofia will be a tricky challenge as Eastern European clubs generally play with a great deal of authority in their home stadiums. For instance, Turkish side Besiktas made things extremely tough for last season’s Champions League finalists Manchester United on their home turf in Istanbul. Therefore, it is only natural to expect Fulham to struggle over the course of its own eastern European adventure.
With AS Roma and Swiss giants FC Basel forming the remainder of Fulham’s extremely dangerous group, Hodgson’s genius will have to deliver from the moment go. Below-par performances in the group stages will most probably lead to a failure to progress to the knock-out rounds. Although I concede that this will obviously carry the benefit of allowing the Cottagers to focus more on their Premier League commitments, I can only hope that they put their best foot forward in a bid to avoid a scenario where they have to compete domestically with the likes of Tottenham and Manchester City for the highly coveted Europa League spots.
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