The Cottagers Return: A Look Back At Fulham's All-Time Premier League XI

Soccer - FA Barclaycard Premiership - Charlton Athletic v Fulham
Fulham

Defence

Right-back: Chris Baird

Aston Villa v Fulham - Premier League
Kyle Walker (L) and Chris Baird (R)

The versatile defender was deployed in multiple positions for Fulham and enjoyed his most successful spell for Fulham under Roy Hodgson, narrowly missing out on UEFA Cup glory in 2010.

Of course, the Northern Irish man will be fondly remembered by Fulham fans for his brace against Stoke City, which included an incredible volley from 30 yards and a free-kick; two strikes that you'd usually expect from defenders like Roberto Carlos or Alex.


Centre-back: Brede Hangeland

Manchester United v Fulham - FA Cup Fourth Round
Brede Hangeland (R)

Hangelaand appeared over 200 times for the Cottagers. Almost like a more agile version of Per Mertesacker, the defender was part of one of Fulham's most successful eras as a Premier League club where the Norweigan formed a solid partnership with Aaron Hughes.

The colossus defender's campaign of 2011 was his best; finishing as the highest scoring centre-back in the Premier League and Fulham's 2nd highest scorer as he registered six goals across the 2010/11 campaign.

While the Scandinavian was unable to repeat his 2011 heroics, he maintained his defensive consistency for the Cottagers, which lead to being linked to clubs such as Arsenal.


Centre-back: Aaron Hughes

Hamburger SV v Fulham - UEFA Europa League
Aaron Hughes

At 38, Hughes is still yet to retire, most recently playing for Hearts in the Scottish Premier League. It's clear to see why Northern Ireland's most capped outfield player is able to play on for so long when seeing some of his performances for Fulham - displaying the intelligence associated with only the games best defenders.

Like his teammates, Hughes was also highly versatile and could be used anywhere across the defence without any noticeable drop in performance. This is a quality that managers such as Jurgen Klopp highly value in today's game.

The Northern Irishman was unfortunate to not win any trophies at Fulham after a solid showing throughout the 2010 UEFA Cup campaign, establishing his partnership alongside Brede Hangeland as the best of the club's history.


Left-back: John Arne Riise

Fulham's Norwegian defenders John Arne R
Fulham's Norwegian defender, John Arne Riise

To round off the defence, at left-back is, of course, the former Liverpool man and Champions League winner. Assured for the Cottagers in both attack and defence. Interestingly, Riise's signing continued Fulham's tradition of acquiring Norweigan players - a strategy that appears to still be successful for them today when looking at the performances of Stefan Johansen.

While John Arne Riise wasn't able to register any goals for Fulham, he was generally consistent; despite that not being enough in 2014 where the Cottagers were relegated.

Quick Links