Fulham never did become the ‘Manchester United of the South’ as Mohamed al Fayed once promised but they did banish the mice from the dressing room and repair the showers, and they have risen once more to the Premier League.
In the 25 years since Al Fayed paid £6.25million for the west London club, then in the third tier and utterly broke, they have savoured 15 seasons of top-flight football, celebrated promotion five times and graced a major European final.
With respect to Johnny Haynes and Co, this has been an era of sustained Fulham success unlike any other.