Where Are They Now? Fulham’s XI From Spurs Away 2013

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Three years ago this month marks one of Fulham Football Club’s best ever results. On a mild March day in 2013, the Cottagers went away to Champions League chasing Tottenham Hotspur and ground out a famous 1-0 win. It was their first victory in over 10 years at White Hart Lane, and will go down in history as one of their greatest ever away matches. On that brilliant Sunday afternoon the sturdy Whites backline subdued superstar Gareth Bale and led the perfect smash and grab away performance. Fullback Sascha Riether bombed down the right wing and produced a sumptuous cut back that Dimitar Berbatov cooly slotted home in the 52nd minute, sealing the match for Fulham. Yet much has changed since then. Here is a look at where the starting XI that day are now, three years after the superb victory.

Mark Schwarzer

The Australian goalkeeper was in inspired form that day, making crucial saves in the closing stages to keep out Jermain Defoe and to preserve the clean sheet. Schwarzer left Fulham for local rivals Chelsea at the end of the 2012/13 season after the arrival of Dutch keeper Maarten Stekelenburg. Schwarzer went on to feature in key matches for the Blues in 2013/14, most notably in the Champions League semifinal against Atletico Madrid. He is now the back up goalkeeper to Kasper Schmeichel at Leicester City, and his career is still going strong at the age of 43.

John Arne Riise 

The mercurial Norwegian left back departed Craven Cottage following the club’s relegation in 2014, and moved to Cyprus to play for APOEL. Riise won the double in his first year there, but moved to Delhi Dynamos in India in 2015. His spell in India has come to an end, and he now is listed as a free agent at the age of 35.

Philippe Senderos 

Senderos joined Fulham back in 2010, and has divided opinion over his worth at centreback. The Swiss international certainly lacked pace and had an awkward gait, and when Fulham were mired in a relegation battle in 2014, he was shipped out to Valencia. He played half a season in La Liga before returning to England with Aston Villa, where he made just 8 appearances over two years. Senderos now plies his trade in his native Switzerland with Grasshoppers.

Brede Hangeland 

Club legend and longtime captain Brede Hangeland departed the club in regrettable circumstances in 2014, when he claimed he was informed of the termination of his contract by email. Hangeland was acquired by Premier League side Crystal Palace at the start of the 2014/15 season, and the Norwegian centreback has made 21 appearances and scored 2 goals for the Eagles since. At 34 years old, it is refreshing to see Hangeland still performing at the highest level.

Sascha Riether

A fan favourite during his spell in SW6, Riether joined from German side Koln on a season long loan in 2012, and made the move permanent in 2013. However, he also left the club after relegation in 2014, arriving at Bundesliga side Freiburg. Unfortunately for Riether, Freiburg went down in 2015, prompting a move to Schalke, where he now plays.

Steve Sidwell

The hardworking English midfielder also abandoned ship after the 2013/14 relegation campaign, heading to Stoke City to rejoin former manager Mark Hughes. However, Sidwell’s opportunities were limited at the Britannia, and he looked to move on loan to a Championship club this winter. Fulham were reportedly linked, but Sidwell ended up joining Brighton on a half season loan.

Giorgos Karagounis

The elder statesmen of the Fulham side, Karagounis was well into his late thirties when he joined the Whites. Although he was quickly aging, Karagounis always gave his all on the pitch and would consistently turn in battling performances in the centre of the park. After having his contract terminated in May 2014, Karagounis retired at the age of 37 after a memorable career.

Damien Duff 

The Ireland international spent 5 successful seasons at Fulham, steering them to the Europa League final and scoring 15 total goals. After departing Fulham at the end of 2014, Duff spent short spells in the A League with Melbourne Victory and then finally ended his career in December 2015 while with Shamrock Rovers in Ireland.

Dimitar Berbatov

The goalscorer on that fateful March day was a hit for Fulham in his debut season, bagging 15 goals in 2012/13. But the languid Bulgarian was not built for a grueling relegation dogfight, and he was shipped off to the luxuries of Monaco in January 2014. Berbatov stayed in the principality until the end of the the 2014/15 season, when he moved to PAOK in Greece. Berbatov has scored 4 goals in 14 appearances to date in Greece.

Bryan Ruiz 

Yet another flair player who never seemed equipped to play in England, Ruiz jumped at the opportunity to join PSV Eindhoven on loan during Fulham’s relegation campaign. But at the start of the next season, a bizarre transfer saga meant Ruiz stayed at Fulham. Then-manager Kit Symons brought him in from the cold to make 32 appearances in the Championship. Ruiz promptly departed at the start of this season and has joined the ranks of Sporting Lisbon in Portugal, where he plays to this day.

Ashkan Dejagah

The Iranian attacker was one of Fulham’s few bright spots in the relegation season of 2013/14, and it was no surprise that he would elect to leave at the end of the year. But his decision to join Al-Arabi of the Qatari league was quite the shock. Dejagah has scored 8 goals in 40 appearances for Al-Arabi, and is certainly raking in the cash, earning a reported 100,000 pounds a week.

In all, the fact that not one of the starting XI that beat Spurs three years ago is at the club now is a depressing figure. In examining this squad, the reasons for Fulham’s impending relegation were clear. A vastly aging team was always going to struggle, and the lack of investment in the summer of 2012 contributed to Fulham’s freefall. Fulham were already in decline, and are now mired in the Championship, with promotion a distant concept. All FFC supporters can do now is reminisce on the good old days, and hope for a miraculous return to the top flight.

Featured image: all rights reserved by Dom Fellowes.